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CNN Live At Daybreak

Russians Miffed By Losses, Judging

Aired February 22, 2002 - 06:32   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk Olympics now. It is the marquee event of the Winter Games, and there was a huge or, rather, Hughes upset last night in women's figure skating. Did you see it? You know, Michelle Kwan won the silver in Nagano and was favored to win the gold this year, but it was not to be. Kwan fell during her long program. Instead it was another American teenager who stole the spotlight from Kwan.

Sarah Hughes soared from fourth place into the lead with a flawless performance. And she skated away with the gold. No one was more stunned than Hughes herself at her amazing win. When the final marks were announced, Hughes took the gold. Russia's Irina Slutskaya won the silver and Kwan won the bronze medal.

Emotions are running hot at the Winter Games. Russia is now threatening to pull out of the Olympics. Our Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty joins us live with more on the outrage at the Olympics.

Good morning Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning Carol, and boy, I can tell you, really people are steamed here. We were just out gauging some opinion at a local swimming pool, and people are really angry. What they feel is that the games have been politicized and in essence they feel that Russia has been dissed by the IOC.

They point to a couple of things. Well, actually three, at least. One is Larissa Lazutina, who was a cross-country skier, who was taken off and tested for drugs, they -- she was accused of doping, which they deny, and because she was taken out of the relay team, the team was not able to compete -- that was one.

Then, of course, last week you had the big to-do about the figure skating pair and the Canadians. And then you also even have Irina Slutskaya, who got a silver, they think she ought to get a gold. So even President Putin now has chimed in. He was at a photo op just this past hour, and he's quoted as saying, "these games under the new leadership of the IOC aren't working out. The new leadership is -- seems to be at fault here".

He even used the word as it's quoted, "a flop" and he said that "the Russian Olympics Committee has been passive in the face of what the Russians perceive as very unfair judging". So Leonid Tyagachiov, who is the head of the Russian Olympics Committee is basically saying look, we may have to walk out if you don't treat us right. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEONID TYAGACHIOV, PRESIDENT, RUSSIAN OLYMPICS COMMITTEE (through translator): I officially stated to Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, that our country disagrees with the unobjective decisions by the judges in figure skating, and in particular, right now, in the ski relay race and in hockey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: So, unfortunately now, this is spinning into politics and you have the Russian Parliament saying yeah, we ought to take those guys home and to protest what is going on. Ultimately will it happen? Well, that's another thing, but they're obviously very unhappy, and there's a lot of frustration among -- just general Russians over what is going on Carol.

COSTELLO: Are some accusing them of being just poor losers?

DOUGHERTY: Well, they feel that the judges have politicized it and commercialized the games, essentially those are the two things that they're angry about.

COSTELLO: OK, we'll see what happens. Thank you. Jill Dougherty reporting live for us from Moscow this morning.

Also at the Olympics the FBI's investigating some 40 threats against American speed skater Apolo Ohno. An FBI agent says Ohno received the threat through the Salt Lake Olympic Committee's Web site.

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