USA/CANADA: WINTER OLYMPICS: FIGURE SKATERS JAMIE SALE AND DAVID PELLETIER WILL RECEIVE A GOLD METAL FOLLOWING ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTROVERSIES IN OLYMPIC HISTORY

Record ID: 504159

  • Title: USA/CANADA: WINTER OLYMPICS: FIGURE SKATERS JAMIE SALE AND DAVID PELLETIER WILL RECEIVE A GOLD METAL FOLLOWING ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTROVERSIES IN OLYMPIC HISTORY
  • Date: 14th February 2002
  • Summary: (U7) SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 15TH, 2002) (REUTERS) TLV SALE AND PELLETIER ON ESCALTOR AS LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 1st March 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A.; VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA AND EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA
  • City:
  • Country: Canada
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVADREU78WFUJR3P36106CU44KO0
  • Story Text: Canadians erupted in celebration after news that Jamie Sale and David Pelletier would receive a belated gold medal for their performance in pairs figure skating, following one of the biggest controversies in Olympic history. A French judge was suspended from the Winter Olympics for misconduct after the Russian pair were judged to have won gold. Following an inquiry it's been decided both pairs will get gold medals, but the Russian pair say the controversy has made their medal shine less brightly.
    Canadian figure skaters Jamie Sale [pron: SAH-lay] and David Pelletier [pron: PELLA-tee-yay] were awarded a pairs gold medal on Friday (February 15) after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) moved swiftly to defuse a judging scandal overshadowing the Winter Games.
    IOC president Jacques Rogge told a news conference the Canadian duo would be given the second gold of the event following a decision by the International Skating Union (ISU) to suspend a French judge in Monday's final. The Russians will retain their gold medal.
    "We received an official proposal from the International Skating Union to award a gold medal to Sale and Pelletier. The Executive board of the IOC agreed and a gold medal will be awarded to the Canadian pair," Rogge said.
    "I am happy for the athletes. Not only for the skaters, but also in particular for all the other athletes in all the other sports who deserve the full attention of the media and public opinion," Rogge added.
    International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta said French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne, who had voted for the Russian winners Yelena Berezhnaya [pron: yell-LAY-nah Bear-ah-ZHNAY-ah] and Anton Sikharulidze [AN-tawn seek-hair-uh-LEE-dzuh] in the 5-4 split decision, had been suspended for misconduct.
    "Ms. LeGougne was submitted to a certain pressure and we do believe this pressure is resulted in putting this judge in a condition not to pronounce not to give a vote in adequate manner," Cinquanta said.
    It is only the third time in the history of the modern Summer and Winter Olympics that a result has been overturned for something other than doping. The Canadians reacted with relief, Russia with outrage.
    Cinquanta said investigations would continue into the biggest scandal at a Winter Games for 30 years.
    The Canadian figure skaters, who had become the talk of Salt Lake City following Monday's controversial decision, said they believed justice had been done, and expressed relief and surprise that the situation was resolved so quickly.
    "We are happy justice has been done," Pelletier told a news conference held on Friday. "It does not take anything away from Yelena and Anton. This was not something against them. It was something against the system."
    "We're truly honored they decided to award us the gold medal but again we feel a little bit shy about it cause like David said the other Olympians are doing their personal best and winning medals and this is what everyone is talking about and that is not what the Olympics is supposed to be about. We sure hope that the inquiry keeps going and the truth will come out," Sale said.
    The Russian figure skaters congratulated Sale and Pelletier following the announcement, but said the scandal had made them uncomfortable.
    "Well, it was a big deal to decide whether there would award one more gold medal. We have to accept it -- we can do nothing. We can just congratulate these guys -- Jamie and David -- and accept that, to be strong, " Yelena Berezhnaya said in an interview on Friday (February 15).
    Asked whether the duplicate golds made their medals shine any less brightly, Anton Sikharulidze said, "No, not because the Olympic Committee gave the guys a second Olympic gold medal. I think they shine less because all this scandal was around us, and we can't really enjoy our victory, enjoy our life here, enjoy the Olympic games and I think the scandal make us uncomfortable."
    Canadian fans celebrated at "Canada House" a short distance from the media center where the skaters held their news conference, and in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where Sale and Pelletier train.
    Sale's mother Patti Siegel, who spoke with her daughter following the announcement, expressed sadness for the Olympic moment her daughter had lost.
    "This is a victory in a sense, but it's a unique one, it's appreciated but it does come a little late, they didn't get to stand on the podium that night and hear the anthem," she said, but expressed hope for the future.
    "Hopefully the good that comes of this is really that the sport will find a way to make the judging less questionable shall we say," Siegel said.
    On the streets of Canada, there was wide agreement that Friday's announcement was the correct decision.
    "I think that they deserved it, I think it's a difficult issue because where do they draw the line, they definitely deserved it though," said one woman in Vancouver.
    Following the major turn of events after a week of controversy that overshadowed the Salt Lake Games, Sale and Pelletier say they hope attention will now return to the rest of the athletes competing in these games - and the medals yet to be decided.
    jch/
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