Canadians Share Gold With Russians
Feb. 15 -- The Canadian Olympic figure skating team whose performance won the hearts of the crowd Monday night won their gold medal today.
Jamie Sale and David Pelletier will share the top prize with the Russian pair who were declared winners in what international skating officials now say was a competition marred by misconduct by one judge.
"The gold medal will be awarded to the Canadian pair," International Olympic Committee President James Rogge said.
International Skating Union President Ottavio Cinquanta, sharing the podium with Rogge, said the French judge who was found to have acted improperly in the judging was immediately suspended. He said that she gave the ISU a signed statement, though he did not specify what was in the statement.
"She acted in a way that was not adequate to guarantee both pairs equal condition and this, I think, is enough," Cinquanta said of the French judge, Marie-Reine Le Gougne. "We have declared misconduct."
He said the investigation into what occurred would continue, but refused to give any indication of what direction that inquiry was taking.
‘An Extremely Extraordinary Situation’
At a news conference on Wednesday, Cinquanta had all but ruled out awarding a second gold medal and said no action was going to be taken until a full ISU council meeting scheduled for Monday, but his aggressive, even belligerent responses to journalists only fueled the storm of controversy.
He said the ISU council was able to meet Thursday night following the men's free skate competition, and it was decided to recommend to the IOC that both teams should receive the gold medal.
"Even though this deliberation is not according to International Skating Union rules, this was an extraordinary deliberation of the ISU in an extremely extraordinary situation," said Cinquanta.
Russian duo Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the gold Monday night over Sale and Pelletier — leading some to suggest improprieties among the judges, with much attention focused on Le Gougne, the French judge.
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