Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : CNBC -- critique. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (9695)	2/13/2002 8:48:00 PM
From: sandintoes	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17683

Hi Queeny, how have you been? Wednesday, February 13, 2002 ISU chief: 'Internal assessment' on Feb. 18 Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY -- An Olympic referee raised questions about the scores that narrowly gave the gold medal to the Russians in pairs figure skating, the head of the skating union said Wednesday. Canadian judge Benoit Lavoie has a few words with Canadian silver medalists Jamie Sale and David Pelletier after Monday's controversial result. It was the latest development in what has quickly become the biggest story of the Winter Games. Ottavio Cinquanta, International Skating Union president, said he had received "certain allegations" from American referee Ronald Pfenning, who oversaw the nine judges who scored the competition. Pfenning could have been relaying a complaint from himself or any of the judges. ISU rules prevent Pfenning or anyone else on the judging panel from talking publicly about decisions. Cinquanta did not provide details of the allegations. Others also had questioned the results, "but the most important is the one of the referee," he said. "He is the coordinator of the competition." Cinquanta also said he was embarrassed by the furor over the Russians winning despite an obvious technical error. Canada's Olympic delegation has demanded an investigation, and the union said it would conduct a rare "internal assessment." That assessment could lead to revisions in judging, Cinquanta said. Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the gold medal by the tiniest margin over Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier on Monday night. They won a 5-4 split even though Sikharulidze stepped out of a double axel. Sale and Pelletier skated cleanly and the crowd was chanting "Six! Six!" by the time they finished, begging the judges to award the Canadians a perfect score. The Canadians got only four 5.9s for artistry compared with seven 5.9s for the Russians. Boos rained down as the marks flashed. Cinquanta announced that the executive council of the federation would meet on Feb. 18 to discuss judging and consider any revisions to the rules. However, he reiterated that the competition was over, meaning the Russians would keep their gold medal. The Canadian Olympic Association sent a letter Wednesday to Cinquanta seeking an independent inquiry. "We respectfully suggest to you that in order for such a review to have credibility with the athletes, the coaches and the public, it must be independently structured," COA president Michael Chambers wrote. Canadian officials said they don't necessarily want to overturn the decision, but would be satisfied if both teams were awarded gold medals. Chambers said they were filing the appeal now because, "There is no time to wait, we're at the Olympic Games now and we must file the appeal now for any hope of a decision before the end of the games." Marilyn Chidlow, president of Skate Canada, said all the allegations have come to them secondhand. "We will look for that firsthand information," she said. Reaction differed on opposite sides of the world. U.S. coach Frank Carroll suggested that a French judge, Marie Reine Le Gougne, voted for the Russians in a deal to avenge a loss by the French dance team to the Canadians at the Grand Prix in Canada in December. "Does that mean now the Russian judge possibly is going to give the French dance team first" in these Olympics? Carroll asked. The ice dancing competition begins Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, expressing "his sincere congratulations on the superb victory," the Kremlin press office reported Wednesday. In Edmonton, Sale's mother, Patti Siegel, got choked up expressing appreciation for the worldwide support. "That's what makes me cry, not just the result but the reaction of the world to it," she said. Siegel refused to get into allegations about the judges, and when pressed, responded: "It doesn't anger me and I don't want to dwell on it. It's done." Controversy is practically a staple of figure skating, whether it's the Tonya-Nancy brouhaha, complaints about the standings in ice dancing or a ban on "undignified" moves. But this one has really struck a chord with fans and skating insiders -- prompting calls for reforms. "This is the worst thing that's happened to figure skating in a long time," Carroll said. "I can understand where, watching that, if the International Olympic Committee said, 'We don't want figure skating in the Olympics anymore,' who's going to argue with that?" The IOC isn't giving figure skaters the boot yet, but it is "concerned," said Francois Carrard, its director general. "The ultimate responsibility for the results," he said, "lies with the ISU."