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CNN Saturday Morning News

International Olympic Committee Says Judging Controversy is Closed

Aired February 16, 2002 - 08:09   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.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: And now to the Winter Olympics scandal we've come to know as Skategate. The Canadian figure skating pair will trade silver for gold because of the judging controversy. But the controversy is far from over.

Our Carol Lin joins us from Salt Lake City with the latest -- Carol, hi. How are you?

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jeanne. How are you?

Well, you're absolutely right, the controversy is not over. The Canadians did get the gold. The French judge was suspended indefinitely. But there was supposed to be an International Skating Union meeting on Monday to review exactly what happened that night at the pairs judging, who influenced Marie-Reine Le Gougne to vote for the Russians.

Well, right now the International Olympic Committee says the matter is closed and we found fans here who say they're relieved.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To award the gold medal to Sale and Pelletier.

LIN: If you're Canadian, there is joy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm happy for the athletes, not only for the skaters, but also in particular for all the other athletes.

LIN: There was relief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Canada got what they deserved, and I think it's a good sign for the rest of the figure skating competition here and hopefully down the line.

LIN: If you are Russian, there is diplomatic disappointment.

MARGARET KIRELEV, RUSSIAN OLYMPIC HOST: I certainly believe that they did very well, but the crying maybe gets the marble. So they did get the marble. LIN: People standing in long lines to buy Olympic souvenirs got the news and feel for the Russians.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's not their fault.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The skaters didn't just give themselves a gold medal, the judges did. But I do think the Canadians (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that night.

LIN: The scandal has captivated Olympic fans and the world. At the Sky Box Sports Bar, Jeff Flamm (ph) compares Skategate to Salt Lake's other Olympic scandal.

JEFF FLAMM: Right. It's gone on before, to get the Olympics to a city. Unfortunately, they were caught here. So I think it's really tightened it up for years to come and I think it will be the same on judging.

LIN: His brother Brian disagrees. Does it make you feel like the system is clean now?

BRIAN FLAMM: No. I don't know. It will probably happen again.

LIN: Why do you think the International Skating Union and the International Olympic Committee were so quick to come out today with this announcement?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think they need to. They need to get it back on track.

LIN: And barring any further surprises, the Olympic Committee is expected to give the Canadian skaters their gold next Thursday night, the last night of figure skating competition.

(voice-over): Only then will sports fans here feel the controversy finally will be over.

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LIN: And, of course, last night, Jeanne, was the big ice dancing competition. All eyes on that judging panel. And it turns out there's a certain irony going here. The French pairs dancer, the ice dancing pair last night, they are currently in first place. This competition concludes on Monday. They're in first place. They've always been anticipated to be in first place. The Canadians, however, far down the list, not in the medals running right now.

And, a weird thing happened with the judging panel. The judges on the panel, the names were drawn 45 minutes before the competition and included in this panel is a controversial Ukrainian judge who was sanctioned after the Nagano Games for trying to collude and vote swap and influence votes prior to the ice pairs dancing competition back in Nagano, Japan. But that judge, after being sanctioned, is back judging and amazingly judging the ice dancing competition here.

MESERVE: Wow. And meanwhile the rest of the games goes on. Carol, tell us about the other events.

LIN: Well, yesterday it was really a terrific day, especially when you're on the slopes. You were talking about Chris Klug, who got the bronze in the snow boarding competition, the giant slalom. I know you guys are going to be talking to him later this morning.

But what an amazing story. I mean here he had a liver transplant just 19 months ago and yesterday there was, he talked at the press briefing about a funny moment there. I mean talk about Mr. Fix It, he had a broken buckle on his boot and he managed to fix it with duct tape and win the bronze.

Also yesterday was the double luge and the Americans scored pretty well there, getting the silver and the bronze. Brian Martin and Mark Grimmette getting the silver. The bronze goes to Chris Thorpe and Clay Ives.

And men's hockey. Boy, they are setting records here. The United States beat Finland yesterday 6-0. But, of course, they've got history on their side. The last time that the U.S. men's hockey team lost an Olympic hockey game on the home team's soil was back in 1932. They lost to Canada. So their winning streak continues, Jeanne.

MESERVE: OK, Carol Lin, thanks.

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