SALT LAKE CITY (voa) – Olympic officials hope a decision to award a second set of gold medals in the pairs figure-skating competition in Salt Lake City will ease turmoil that has engulfed the 19th Winter Games after a judge’s disputed call.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge says the ruling was the best possible way to resolve the controversy.
Mr. Rogge and the president of the International Skating Union Ottavio Cinquanta announced Friday that gold medals will be awarded to Canada’s Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, who initially placed second in Monday’s hotly-contested event.
Russian skaters Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze will keep their gold medals. The French judge who overlooked a technical error and cast the deciding (5-4) vote that gave the Russian pair the gold was suspended for misconduct, pending an investigation.
Mr. Cinquanta said French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne had “submitted to certain pressure.” The ruling caused an uproar and cast a shadow over the Salt Lake City Games.
The decision to award a second set of gold medal received mixed reviews. The head of Russia’s Figure Skating Federation, Valentin Piseyev, criticized the move, calling it “an unprecedented decision” which he blamed on pressure from the North American press.
The controversy has received wide attention in the Russian press, reflecting a touch of bitterness over what is perceived in Russia as the Canadians’ unwillingness to accept defeat gracefully, and over allegations the Russians may somehow have exerted pressure on some of the judges.
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said he was delighted with the outcome. President Bush said it was right to award the gold medals to the Canadian skaters.
Sale and Pelletier are expected to receive their medals on the last day of the figure skating competition, February 21.
In Olympic competition Friday, Patric-Fritz Leitner and Alexander Resch of Germany won the luge double. Brian Martin and Mark Grimmette of the United States won silver, and compatriots Chris Thorpe and Clay Ives won bronze.
In the women’s five-kilometer cross-country pursuit, Olga Danolova of Russia won the gold medal, followed by Larissa Lazutina of Russia, the silver medalist, and Beckie Scott of Canada.
In snowboard action, Philipp Schoch of Switzerland won the gold medal in the men’s parallel giant slalom. Richard Richardson of Sweden won silver and Chris King of the United States won bronze.
In women’s parallel giant slalom, Isabelle Blanc of France won the gold medal. Compatriot Karine Ruby won silver and Lidia Trettel of Italy won bronze.
The U.S. medal total in Salt Lake City now stands at 14, the most ever for Americans at a Winter Games. The United States team won 13 medals in each of the last two Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and Lillehammer, Norway.
