The French judge told other judges she was forced to vote for the Russians, according to an article in USA Today newspaper, tomorrows edition.
"Pairs judging simply Indefensible" by Christine Brennan, USA Today 2/12/02
usatoday.com
"Increasingly, this is not just looking like a bad decision, but a fixed one. After the pairs long program on Monday and the judges' controversial 5-4 vote for the Russians, French judge Marie Reine Le Gougne, who voted for the Russians, told members of the International Skating Union's prestigious technical committee, as well as a few judges, that she was forced by her federation to vote for the Russians in a deal that would deliver a vote for the French team in the ice dancing competition later in the Olympic Games. There also were very credible reports that Le Gougne is trying to become a member of the important ISU technical committee, and that it's well known that Russian votes are needed to get yourself elected to that post.
Upon hearing of this, a dozen top ISU officials and judges sent a letter of protest Tuesday morning to ISU President Ottavio Cinquanta. They want someone tossed off a committee, at the very least. Although this letter appears to be unprecedented, I'd suggest a loftier goal: Kick the French judge out of the sport, and perhaps all her pals who put her up to this, and order that examination of the pairs results, pronto.
"When people are watching on TV and see this, they say that figure skating in the Olympic Games is not a real sport, and you can almost see where they're coming from," said veteran U.S. coach Frank Carroll.
Christine Brennan, from USA Today: "I can't defend it anymore. I've been defending figure skating for years. Defending it against my numerous sportswriting colleagues who say it really isn't a sport. Defending its judges. Defending its arcane ways. Generally, defending everything."
"Not after what happened Monday night in the pairs competition at the Olympic Games. Not after the most awful decision I have witnessed in 14 years of covering this sport. Not after what is looking more and more like a decision that was rigged days or even weeks before Jamie Sale and David Pelletier skated one of the great performances in Olympic history, only to have the gold medal taken from them by five misguided people on the nine-person judging panel."
cont'd in article
The Olympics Committee, at least some of the judges, and the United Nations have a lot of common: biased, corrupt, kangaroo court. |
