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CNN Live At Daybreak

French Figure Skating Judge Changes Story Again

Aired February 25, 2002 - 05:20   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: Figure skating judging controversy was the talk of these Winter Games, though. Now the French judge at the center of the scandal says she was under pressure from Canada, not her country's federation.

Brian Huntziger of our affiliate station KTVX in Salt Lake has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN HUNTZIGER, KTVX CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marie-Reine Le Gougne cast the deciding score for the Russians.

MARIE-REINE LE GOUGNE, FIGURE SKATING JUDGE: First of all, I want to say that I have judged with myself and my conscience. And why when I have decided to have the Russian people on the first place, I was quite aware at that moment, I am still aware of that, that they were the best that night.

HUNTZIGER: But what about the pressure, her supposed confession to being coerced into favoring the Russians? If anything, she says, it was the Canadians applying the pressure.

LE GOUGNE: I knew when I arrived in Salt Lake City that the tendencies, the general tendency was really in favor of the Canadian couple. And during the week before the competition I have felt a lot of Canadian lobbying from Canadian people and also from people close to Canada. But I have tried to -- no, I have not tried, I have really rejected all that lobbying and never when I have made my choice I have allowed this kind of lobbying or pressure, if you want, but I prefer the word of lobbying, to influence my vote.

HUNTZIGER: Still, the IOC awarded a second pair of Gold Medals to Jame Solay and David Pelletier and the International Skating Union suspended Le Gougne for misconduct. She now faces a hearing before the ISU in April that could make that suspension permanent.

LE GOUGNE: It is a passion to me. I have dedicated all my life to the sport and I cannot imagine living without figure skating.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The president of the Canadian Olympic Association has dismissed Le Gougne's claims. And we have a warm Olympic postscript for you. Third generation Olympian Jimmy Shea won the gold in the skeleton competition. Shea's grandfather Jack won two gold speed skating medals at the 1932 Games, but Jimmy's grandfather swapped his skates for a pair of skis with a Japanese skier. Well, on Sunday the man who wound up with those skates returned them to the Shea family from Japan. Jimmy Shea says he's overwhelmed to have his grandfather's skates back.

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