| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Russia's threat to go is a first
By Dennis Romboy
Deseret News staff writer
Nations have engaged in spats for years over officials' decisions and perceived snubs, but none threatened to pack up and go home as the Russian delegation apparently has.
"I think something of that magnitude is unprecedented," said Kevin Wamsley, who heads the International Center for Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario.
It's unusual for those types of complaints to be leveled against the International Olympic Committee, he said.
The Soviet Union did place demands on the IOC when it joined the Olympic movement in 1952, Wamsley said. Soviets called for high-ranking positions on administrative committees, the removal of fascist Spain from the Olympics and separate athlete living quarters to keep out Western influences.
From that time to the 1990s, he said, the Soviets and the Americans "went at it tooth and nail."
The United States boycotted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow after Russia invaded Afghanistan, and the Soviets stayed away from the Los Angeles Games in 1984 in retaliation.
Wamsley called part of the Russian criticism of the pairs figure skating judging fair. Having the Games in North America did influence the decision to award Canadian skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier gold medals and it ended up a no-win situation, he said.
"The Russians lost out. The Canadians lost out," Wamsley said.
Furthermore, he said the Russians have suffered from North American bloc voting in past Games just as North America suffered from Eastern bloc voting.
Nearly a century ago, it was the British and the Americans going at it.
At the 1908 Summer Games in London, the two countries tangled because the American flag bearer at the opening ceremonies refused to dip the flag to the royal box. When several decisions by British judges went against U.S. athletes, Americans said it stemmed from bias caused by the flag incident. The biggest controversy arose in the 400-meter race featuring only four runners — three Yanks and a Brit.
The apparent winner, an American, was disqualified for interfering with the British runner. Judges ordered a rerace, but the Americans refused, leaving the Brit to run the lap alone for the gold medal.
In Wednesday's short-track speedskating. Apolo Anton Ohno took the gold after a Korean skater was disqualified for impeding, a decision that added to Russia's discontent at the Salt Lake Games. Korea announced on Thursday its plan to file a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court against the short-track referees.
E-MAIL: romboy@desnews.com
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February 22, 2002
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