- SALT LAKE CITY - French judge Marie Reine Le Gougne
announced at a routine, post-competition judges' meeting Tuesday that she
voted for the Russians in the pairs figure skating final because she had
been pressured to do so by the French figure skating association, NBC News
learned Wednesday. The head of the French Olympic team later confirmed
that French figure skating judge was pressured to "act in a certain
way" before she voted to give the gold to the Russians in pairs.
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- However Didier Gailhaguet denied any
wrongdoing on the part of the French skating federation in what has become
the biggest story of the Winter Games.
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- "Some people close to the judge
have acted badly and have put someone who is honest and upright, but emotionally
fragile, under pressure," Gailhaguet said of judge Marie-Reine Le
Gougne. "She is a fragile person and I think she has been somewhat
manipulated."
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- Astounded by the original admission,
American referee Ronald Pfenning of the United States wrote to Ottavio
Cinquanta, the president of the International Skating Union, to inform
him of the possible cheating in the judging of the pairs final, NBC News
learned from sources inside the investigation.
-
- Meanwhile, in a highly unusual move,
the International Olympic Committee told the figure skating union to quickly
settle the judging dispute that has consumed the Winter Games for two days.
Pairs skating controversy
-
- Questions of improper judging have centered
on Le Gougne, one of five judges who favored the Russians despite the couple's
obvious technical error. Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze edged
Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier 5-4 in the free skate Monday night.
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- "We cannot continue to let our judge
be lambasted in this way," Gailhaguet said. "What is true is
that Marie-Reine has been put under pressure, which pushed her to act in
a certain way.
-
- "We have no fear," Gailhaguet
said, speaking as president of the French skating federation. "Contrary
to the accusations, there was no collusion with the East European nations."
-
- ISU rules prevent judges from commenting
publicly about decisions. Le Gougne refused to accept calls to her hotel.
-
- Earlier Wednesday, ISU President Ottavio
Cinquanta said he had received "certain allegations" from Pfenning,
who oversaw the nine judges scoring the competition.
-
- In responding to questions about reports
a judge might have been pressured to vote for the Russians, Cinquanta said
the judge denied it.
-
- "I have an allegation and a denial,"
he said, refusing to identify the judge.
-
- The Globe and Mail of Toronto reported
that deals were made for Italians Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio
to win gold in ice dancing ahead of Russians Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh.
-
- As part of the arrangement reported by
The Globe, French skaters Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat would get
the bronze medal in ice dancing. There isn't a French judge on the ice-dancing
panel.
-
- The IOC warned if the skating federation
fails to resolve the problem quickly, the IOC itself might step in.
-
- "It's our games, too," IOC
director general Francois Carrard said. "We are concerned for the
athletes. It is our concern that this be settled expeditiously."
-
- The IOC, in a letter from new president
Jacques Rogge to Cinquanta, didn't set a deadline.
-
- Carrard said Rogge and Cinquanta met
privately before the regularly scheduled IOC board meeting, and that the
skating chief assured Rogge the ice dance competition would take place
as scheduled Friday "and be presented in the most proper way."
-
- The dispute could lead to changes in
the way the sport is judged.
-
- Cinquanta said he was embarrassed by
the furor over the Russians winning despite an obvious technical error.
Canada's Olympic delegation has demanded an independent investigation,
and the federation said it would conduct a rare "internal assessment."
-
- Pfenning, the only one allowed to present
allegations of wrongdoing, could have been relaying a complaint from himself
or any of the judges.
-
- 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 made it clear the integrity
of judging - and the sport itself - is at stake. So did Rogge.
-
- "We would like to emphasize the
high urgency of the matter and the need to take adequate action as quickly
as possible," said Rogge, at his first Olympics since replacing Juan
Antonio Samaranch last July.
-
- Cinquanta had said there could be no
resolution until the ISU executive board meets Monday. However, Rogge's
warning could speed up the process.
-
- Regardless, the judging system seems
destined for an overhaul.
-
- "We are on the eve of possible revision
of the judging system and it could limit the possibility of misunderstandings,"
Cinquanta said.
-
- Skate Canada, which filed an appeal of
the pairs outcome with the ISU on Wednesday, also recognized the impact
of the controversy.
-
- "We wouldn't be here if we didn't
think this was a crucial time for our beautiful sport," said Marilyn
Chidlow, president of Skate Canada.
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- And an ugly time.
-
- Skate Canada went so far as to call for
the independent investigation even though it had no proof of any irregularities.
-
- "We will look for that firsthand
information," Chidlow said, "and be very, very careful of our
work in the process."
-
- Canadian officials said they don't want
the Russians stripped of the gold medal, but they believe Sale and Pelletier
should be rewarded if any evidence of wrongdoing is uncovered.
-
- "We are not here to pull someone
down, we are here to pull somebody up," said Michael Chambers, president
of the Canadian Olympic Association. "We see no reason why the council
of the ISU should not consider awarding a second gold medal."
-
- Cinquanta, however, reiterated that the
competition was over, meaning the Russians would keep their gold medal.
-
- 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, even though Sikharulidze
stepped out of a jump. Boos rained down from the crowd as the marks were
flashed.
-
- Chambers said the COA was filing the
appeal right away 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."
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- http://www.msnbc.com/news/705743.asp?cp1=1
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