Duncan Mackay
The judge’s decision is final … unless NBC decides otherwise. That is the only conclusion that can be drawn from the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to award a second gold medal for the pairs figure skating after a five-day campaign driven almost exclusively by the North American media.
In awarding a gold medal to the Canadians, even though they were marked behind the Russian duo, IOC president Jacques Rogge has embarked on a path that could lead him into problems.
“What happens if the winning goal in the Olympic football final is proved to be offside?” asked one IOC member. “Is he going to ask Fifa to suspend the referee and have another gold medal struck?”
The truth is that this so-called scandal is only a scandal because the American papers decided it was. Would these newspapers have been so interested if the victims had been Bulgarian?
Five days later, the men’s 1 000m short-track speedskating produced a bizarre finish which had the Americans again crying foul.
They were furious that the chief referee failed to rerun the race after Australian Steven Bradbury claimed the gold and the American Apolo Anton Ohno only the silver after four of the five competitors fell on the final bend.
The Salt Lake crowd booed loudly when it was announced the result would stand and a US spectator told Bradbury to “wipe that grin off your face, buddy”.