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American Morning

Many Questions Remain About Subjective Nature of Judging Figure Skating

Aired February 18, 2002 - 07:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hoping to keep the Winter Games from becoming completely mired in controversy, the officials caved, would be the way you would describe this. They just gave in. And last night they awarded gold medals to the Canadian figure skating pair Jamie Sale and David Pelletier for their performance last Monday.

While this may quiet the storm for now, there are many questions that remain about the subjective nature of judging figure skating.

CNN's Carol Lin joins us from Salt Lake City now. Good morning to you.

Just give gold medals to everybody and send them all home happy, huh?

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, well, there's a silver medal now out there hanging with nobody belonging to it.

CAFFERTY: That's right. No one.

LIN: Yes, we watched the ceremony last night. Lots of hugs and kisses back stage. Jack, I know you hate the story, but we're going to march forward and share the moment with you. Jame Solay and David Pelletier shared a specially constructed stage with the Russian pair skater, Anton Sikharulidze and Elena Berezhnaya. Everybody very clearly relieved and happy that this controversy is finally over. It was one of the most watched ceremonies of the Winter Olympics history.

They came onto the same ice as they had competed on last week and Solay and Pelletier received their gold medals just two days after the IOC and the International Skating Union made the announcement, decided that the French judge in the pairs skating competition had been unduly manipulated.

Now, later, after the ceremony, the gold medals, as they were presented, David Pelletier said that the case is solved for us but not for figure skating.

And, Jack, in many ways he's right because the International Skating Union is apparently going forward with its big council meeting today where they gathered all 11 members. But they are meeting in a secret location behind closed doors. They were supposed to talk about exactly what happened in the judging controversy last week, how was the French judge manipulated and should anybody else be punished. But likely, Jack, we are not going to know those results because as far as the International Olympic Committee is concerned, this is a case closed.

CAFFERTY: Yes, except for the fact that they have set a precedent that may come back to haunt them.

Let me ask you about a gutty performance in the 1,000 meter speed skating. The young woman, Chris Witty, that was some show she put on yesterday.

LIN: Yes, pretty amazing considering she was only slated for probably getting the bronze and she pulled it out, getting the gold. And she did this after battling a long illness with mononucleosis. I mean how many of us are going to get up out of bed with a 100 degree temperature feeling exhausted and get a gold medal?

But she did it and she won the long track speed skating competition, the 1,000 meter event. And she did it in record time, in a minute 13.83 seconds. Not bad. The Americans are doing pretty well.

CAFFERTY: More medals than any American Winter Olympic team has ever won, right?

LIN: Well, we're getting there, yes. The last record was 13. They're up to 18 now. And the U.S. Olympic Committee had actually predicted 20 but you know what? Now they're saying that they may even exceed that medal count.

CAFFERTY: Wow. Good stuff.

LIN: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Carol, thank you. We'll get back to you a bit later.

LIN: Sure.

CAFFERTY: Carol Lin live in Salt Lake City.

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