Posted on 02/15/2002 11:42:28 AM PST by The_Victor
Snip of redundant material
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"The council got enough evidence that this individual was responsible for misconduct. They (the skaters) were not judged equally."
Cinquanta said le Gougne had "practically admitted" she had been put under pressure during a meeting at which the American referee Ron Pfenning had been present. Earlier this week, Cinquanta said Pfenning had handed him a letter containing "certain allegations".
He added if a judge received pressure at any time the referee had to be informed.
RUSSIANS FURIOUS
"This did not happen in the case of Mrs. Le Gougne," Cinquanta said.
He said a council meeting on Monday would decide how long the suspension would last.
Pelletier and Sale told Canadian television after the announcement that justice had been done.
"Everyone knows what we deserve and we know what we deserve and we are taking that home with us and that's all that matters," Sale said.
"This is not about us and the Russians, this is about the sport we love dearly and justice was done, and that is a good feeling," said Pelletier.
"I hope it's not going to stop the cleaning of (figure skating's) house here," he added.
Sale said: "We just want the truth to come out and I think for the future of our sport this had to be fixed."
The Russian team reacted furiously to Friday's decision, describing it as a huge blow to the Olympic spirit.
Russian Olympic Committee official Rudolf Nezvegsky told Reuters: "By doing this, they just struck a huge blow, not only to the Olympic spirit of fair competition but also to the whole nature of sport.
"It went against any moral and ethical norms that exist in sport where athletes, not lawyers, compete against each other on the slopes and in the sports arenas and not in back rooms," Nezvegsky said.
"Mr Rogge, who has just become IOC president, probably does not understand what he has done for the sports movement for future Olympic Games (news - web sites)," Nezvegsky added.
He's got to be kidding. It's ethical to have competitions decided by judges when he knows at least on of the said "judges" are corrupt? Worse, he knows *who* strong-armed them -- and they were likey Russian.
The exact same thing was said about the programing the winning male RUSSIAN skater received gold for last night.
Uh, the French judge ADMITTED she cheated.
You think this ought to just be ignored?
It's more than that. It's their future livelihood. The color of the medal could affect their earning potential the next two decades. Hardly "just a game." It's their profession -- not a pickup softball game.
I disagree...why don't you train for a sport your whole life, give the best performance, and have your gold medal taken away from you because of a vote trade by the judges.
I think Sale and Pelletier have acted with nothing but class throughout this whole ordeal...especially given these circumstances.
China is equally furious over the Taiwan flag being flown here and there in Salt Lake city.
Let's all toast the Canadians for WINNING the gold.
I think the Canadiens are crybabies...
So by your logic the fact that several nations acted in a manner that goes against 'fair play' should carry no consequences?
I think the Russians should have their gold medal taken away and they should get second place, but the IOC does not have the stones for that I guess.
What does losing have to do with being cheated?
Are you saying that you wouldn't throw a fit if you knew that you'd been cheated out of something that yu'd traned your whole lfe for?
Get real. They are not crying. They are merely standing up for what is theirs. I agree with the Canadians 100%. In fact, the Russians should have the Bronze, at best.
Precedence? Presidents? Press idents?
I don't know, Dog Gone. Compared to some of the things I've seen lawyers get called, that was pretty mild.
You're probably the only one along with the Russians who feel this way. And what should the precedent be? The precedent should be that if you attempt to corrupt the judging there will be a price to be paid. Sounds like a good precedent to me.
Lemme see here... cheese eating, white-flag waving, emotionally unstable french judge is pressured to vote for the ruskies... Anyone have any doubts that maybe it was the Russian mob involved? Guess we will find out if the french judge ends up dying in one of those single-car 'accidents' that seem to be happening quite frequently lately..
PS: really hoping she doesn't die, I wouldn't wish that upon her, but you get my point
"This is an unprecedented decision that turned out to be a result of pressure by the North American press, and turned out in favor of the fanatically loyal" fans, Valentin Piseyev told Russia's NTV television. "You have seen how the public reacts to even the tiniest mistakes of our athletes, and how they absolutely don't notice when the Canadians fall or when the Americans fall."
I think I missed the part of the program where the Canadians fell... The Americans did fall in their skating, especially Todd Eldredge, and he was judged accordingly.
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