Quadruple jump controversy
Encyclopedia
At the 2010 Winter Olympics
held in Vancouver
, Canada
, the final results of the men’s skating competition sparked what many have dubbed a quad
controversy
.
At the heart of it lies a quadruple jump, the toughest jump there is in figure skating, done in combination with a triple toe loop, which Evgeni Plushenko
of Russia
landed in both his short and long programs. Evan Lysacek
of the United States
, however, did not include quads in either of his programs.
Plushenko, who led Lysacek by half a point after the short figure skating program, was beaten out by the American in the final free skate despite performing a quadruple toe loop/triple toe loop.
Many experts of the field have offered their opinions about the results, and countless members of the general public have weighed in on the controversy through online message boards, forums and social networking sites.
, the controversy itself is rooted in the quad's history, and its role at major figure skating competitions, including the Winter Olympics
.
The jump had become so common in men's figure skating since Kurt Browning
first landed it in 1988, that it came to be viewed as a deciding element in a winning program and the lack of it almost a handicap.
Since the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway
, where Alexei Urmanov
won gold without one, the quad, if landed in a competition (absent major weaknesses) made a difference between the first and lower placements. In a Sports Illustrated
article dated January 19, 1998, E.M. Swift wrote that "no Olympic gold medal will ever again be won by a man who doesn't try a four-revolution jump." Many therefore, tried to make themselves competitive by including it in their skating arsenal.
In the twelve years leading up to the 2010 Olympics
, only two skaters won the World Figure Skating Championships
without a quadruple jump. Both wins were under the new ISU judging system
.
Jeffrey Buttle
's win at the 2008 Worlds
officially disproved the already long-standing notion that a quad was needed to win the big titles. His win is credited to have been the spark that ignited the quad controversy that came to a head at the Vancouver Olympic Games.
Brian Joubert
, who landed three quads in a program, expressed his strong disappointment over the results and stated that the value of the jump should be raised in the current scoring system. Evan Lysacek
, like Joubert, commented that a quad was an essential part of men's skating.
In 2009, Lysacek became the second straight world champion to win without a quadruple jump.
With Evgeni Plushenko
and Stéphane Lambiel
entering the race for gold at the upcoming Olympics, the quad debate intensified.
“They saw there was two times the world champion (won) without a quad. From Todd Eldredge
ages there was nobody without the quad to win the world,” said Czech skater Michal Březina
. “I think they did it just because of this. They want to show, if you want to be world champion of the ages you really have to do the quad. I don’t think there is any other reason."
Plushenko thought it was an embarrassment and not in keeping with the established practice that the last two world champions had won without even attempting a quadruple jump. He challenged his competition to try and win the gold in Vancouver without it.
"Whoever skates clean with a quad will win it. I don't think many will," said Lysacek of the Olympics in January, 2010.
Shortly after, however, citing the problem with his left foot stemming from a stress fracture, Lysacek said that he would not attempt a quad. When asked if he thought it would cost him gold, he replied that the new judging system makes a win possible without one: "This season has been very telling, so if you go back and look at how the international competitions have been scored, my strategy has just changed a little." “I don’t think anyone is unbeatable right now, because of the way the sport is judged. Obviously there’s a lot of room for error, but there’s also a lot of room to gain extra points on what you are doing.”
jump.
Tied with Plushenko artistically (both scored 82.80 for program components), the win for Lysacek became possible due to higher marks he received on the execution of such technical elements as jumps, spins and footwork.
Commenting on Lysacek receiving higher technical marks than Plushenko, Frank Carroll
, Lysacek's coach, said: “Plushenko was brilliant in the jumping. He did some brilliant, very difficult things. But if you think of his skating, he was very brilliant, then down. And very brilliant, then down. It was going in waves. Evan just sort of stayed in a straight line and kept going at a certain level from the start to the finish.”
Lysacek agreed with Carroll’s assessment as to why he was able to prevail over the three- time Olympic medalist, whose technical prowess had always been his trademark: “If it was a jumping competition, they’d give you 10 seconds to go do your best jump. But it’s about 4 minutes and 40 seconds of skating and performing from start to finish. That was my challenge tonight, and I feel like I did quite well.”
Many saw Lysacek’s free skate as a well-rounded routine performed with better quality than that of his rival.
“Plushenko may have done the quad, but the overall quality of Lysacek’s program was better,”- said Jacques Rogge
, the president of the IOC.
Multiple Olympic
pairs skating champion Irina Rodnina
said of Plushenko’s free skate: “Evgeni had one big advantage - the quadruple jump - but at the same time, in the performance of our champion, there were enough small errors that weren't noticeable to all. Lysacek, meanwhile, had a winning appearance, a balanced program, all elements carefully woven into his program, logically. And Evgeni, it was especially obvious in the second half, was skating from jump to jump.”
The way the competitors' long programs were structured as well as the marks for spins and step sequences were also mentioned as factors that ultimately tipped the scales in Lysacek's favor.
Under the new ISU judging system
all jumping passes in the last half of the free skate are worth an extra 10% in base value. In contrast to Lysacek’s five jumps, Plushenko placed only three out of his eight jumping passes in the second half of his program. The strategic placement of Lysacek's jumps erased Plushenko's quadruple toe loop/triple toe loop advantage. As a consequence, Plushenko outscored Lysacek in the jumps by only 0.3 points. In that Plushenk's lead from the short program was marginal – only 0.55 points - the scoring for the spins and step sequences was what sealed Lysacek's win. The spins ended up eating up Plushenko's 0.85 advantage, since all three of Lysacek’s spin sequences were awarded the highest level of difficulty - level 4, and only two of Plushenko’s were given that rating. This led to Lysacek outscoring Plushenko by 1.26 points in the spins. Additionally, Plushenko's step sequences were graded 0.9 points lower than Lysacek's, resulting in Lysacek’s 1.31 overall margin of victory.
Lysacek’s marginal victory in the free skate, however, unleashed a wave of criticism that a routine more difficult and Olympic in nature had lost out to the one seen as out of the eighties and “below the modern standards" of men's figure skating.
It was the score for his short program that most Russian analysts say ultimately deprived him of the highest medal.
Going into the free skate, less than a point separated Plushenko, Lysacek and Daisuke Takahashi
of Japan
. Plushenko was the only one of the three to land a quad
in combination with a triple toe loop. "I did a great short program but didn't get the marks I deserved. When I asked why, they told me I was skating early and they had to retain top marks for the last group," said Plushenko.
The scant difference in the scores, a virtual tie, was slammed in the Russian media as dubious judging.
“They ‘buried’ Zhenya (diminutive for Evgeni) before anything could be done. He should have won the short program with a 4 to 5 point lead, in my opinion. A short program is a technical one. And a 4+3 combination changes everything here because it shows that you’re capable of doing more than others," said famous Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova
.
Plushenko thought bias was clearly demonstrated in the scoring and expressed dismay at the Russia
n sports officials: “After the short program, three judges placed me 21st and 22nd for skating skills. These people came to the conclusion that I cannot skate at all. Given the situation, it’s hard for me to understand where were our judges and the administration of our Skating Federation? Why couldn’t a protest be filed following the short program? This [kind of judging] should have been prevented at once, because I don’t believe my skating is of such a low level....I should have had at least a 5 point lead over my competitors. In the end however, the gap amounted to a mere 0.55 to which our Federation did not react at all.”
The Russian Olympic Committee
refused to provide legal support to Plushenko, who was going to protest the results on his own, citing the new ISU rules as barring such actions.
“Under the new ISU rules a complaint maybe lodged only if a calculation (mathematical) error occurs. If the judges err in interpreting an element or its level of difficulty, it is considered a “human error” which can not be challenged...No lawyer would take on representing Plushenko's interests as no provision for challenging the judging under these circumstances exists,” a source from the ROC
was quoted as saying.
Still, the head of Russia’s Skating Federation, Valentin Piseev, came under heavy criticism at home for not standing up vigorously enough for Plushenko in the face of ‘the judges’ arbitrary scoring.'
“Evgeni’s silver medal is a colossal result. The result achieved by him, his coach, choreographer and his spouse. But if the Federation had stepped in, he would have taken home the gold,” said Irina Rodnina
.
, Slovakia
on January 27, 2010:
The email encouraged to mark presentation scores more accurately by stating: "It is telling that Mr. Plushenko acknowledges having no transitions in his routine. The judges seem to miss what he is saying. We as judges should think about what we saw before putting that mark down."
Despite Joe Inman insisting that the emails were sent in innocence and meant to be a simple exchange among friends and teaching tools for people who had attended his seminars, the incident had touched off a frenzy in Europe
and was seen as evidence of North America
lobbying judges against Evgeni Plushenko and Brian Joubert
Joe Inman was not a judge at the Olympic Games in Vancouver
.
has discussed this with the International Skating Union
, the judging has been absolutely impeccable, there is nothing to criticize the judges. They have applied the system that has been approved,” Jacques Rogge
said.
However, many disagreed, some vehemently, calling the judging process no less scandalous than the judging controversy of the 2002 Winter Olympics
and cited the athletes' scores as proof, in and of itself, of it being poor and biased. Alexei Mishin
, Plushenko's coach, was furious at the judges and called their marks "nonsense," "wrong" and "criminal." Elvis Stojko
called the judges’ scoring ridiculous.
Like Stojko, many believed that Plushenko, not Lysacek, deserved the gold medal and that Johnny Weir
outskated Patrick Chan
of Canada
and should have been, if not on the podium, at least higher than sixth.
Three-time Olympic
medalist Artur Dmitriev
thought the score for Lysacek seemed a bit too high, though not surprising, considering the same judges awarded Chan a 160.30 despite his several errors and even a fall on one of his jumps. Not only the score was higher than Weir's but it was only by 5.21 points lower than Plushenko's 165.51.
"The ultimate score that Patrick Chan got did not in any way reflect his level of skating [at the Olympics]. It says a lot - not only that the judges were biased. It also proves that the current judging system that replaced the old one to assure more objectivity does not work," noted Dmitriev.
Tatiana Tarasova, who helped to train Evan Lysacek in 2009, called the high evaluation of the components of his program in Vancouver "simply hooliganism," adding that Plushenko's gold medal "was taken away from him."
"When a person performs a quadruple jump, which is contested by a triple, and (both contenders) gain the same points, it raises questions," said Plushenko about the judges' marks.
Reinhard E. Ketterer
, the head coach of the Berlin Figure Skating Association, said: “We too are in shock. As of today, Plushenko is, without a doubt, the best figure skater in the world and quite justifiably so. He has a lot more difficult technical elements in his arsenal than others. The main thing is that he performed a quadruple toe loop – and that’s what is expected of a real champion. Figure skating is not a ballet but a sporting competition. It seems to me that the judges had already in advance given their preference to Lysacek. As a coach, I felt it right away."
Lysacek did not get a 2 or 3 point deduction for a wrong-edged takeoff on his triple flip which would have changed the final standings of the men's figure skating competition in Plushenko's favor.
Responding to opinions that a little strategizing, including a 4+3+2 combination, for example, or adding another jump to the program would have easily propelled him to victory, Plushenko said that nothing would have changed what had already been decided. "...All of it is pish posh. Well, judge for yourselves: for the quality of my skating, three judges placed me 21st and 22nd. Strangely, the computer did not drop any one of the three. But what it did instead was to drop those judges who awarded me first place. Under the current system, if this is the way judges' marks are awarded, you can win, and you can just as equally lose. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to criticize the new rules; they are not bad. But they do need further refinement.”
Explaining the difference in the way Plushenko's program components were judged in the short program and the way they were judged in the free skate, Valentin Piseev commented:
"After what happened in the short program, I immediately turned to Panov, the Russian member of the ISU
, who in turn informed Cinquanta
, the ISU's president. Cinquanta got in touch with the sports director, notified him of our Federation’s statement and said that he himself would take the situation under his personal control. As a result, in Plushenko’s free skate, his components were judged just as Lysacek’s."
In scoring Plushenko's “transitions/linking footwork” component, the judges seem to have been influenced by the Joe Inman email.
Elena Tchaikovskaia
commented on what ultimately turned out to be one determining factor in the competition: “Everyone's talking about transitions, everyone's talking about step sequences but, honest to God, for the first time in my life I'm hearing that an Olympic champion is winning the Games because of transitions between the elements!”
In the short program, the judges gave Plushenko 6.8 for transitions — an all-time career low and a point lower than the scores he received for the four other components. Ten skaters were given higher marks than Plushenko for transitions in the long program.
At two international competitions held prior to the Vancouver Olympics, however, Plushenko earned transition scores in the 7-7.5 range for the same programs he skated at the Olympics.
Plushenko won the 2006 Olympics with a 7.82 mark for transitions in the short program and a 7.75 in the free skate, which were the highest marks given for transitions in the men’s competition.
According to Alexei Mishin
, the low transition scores in Vancouver
were the result of "the information war" against Plushenko.
regarding a long-term contract. From reliable sources we learned that a condition had been placed on the ISU: the contract would be signed only if the U.S. got a gold in figure skating. The first place for the US in pairs and women’s skating competitions was out of the question so the focus was on ice dancing and men’s skating. Since Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue
and Scott Moir
were considered favorites, having highly influential benefactors on top of that, the decision was ultimately made to 'pull' Evan Lysacek up as the champion. 'Plushenko had no chances from the outset,' said a man familiar in the judging circles. 'Everything had been decided in advance. He was mercilessly robbed in the short program, and in the free skate, the referees just dynamically finished the matter off.' "
Russian sports analyst and commentator Elena Vaytsekhovskaya
in her article entitled “The Curtain” wrote: "Shortly before the Games, a rumor was leaked out from the top circles of the ISU that the International Skating Union was going to sign their next contract with American Television. The ISU already had such a contract before. But it was rather minuscule; five times smaller than the one rumored. From the first rumor there at once arose a second: allegedly because of this contract looming on the horizon the ISU would be exerting every effort to make sure that American
and Canadian figure skaters receive the top placements possible at the Games."
She continues: "Even before the Games came to a close it became known that Lysacek wouldn't be a participant at the Worlds in March. The American right away was furtively accused of simply being afraid; as though the risk of losing, which would tarnish the glimmer of the highest Olympic title, was too great. In reality, all was a bit different. After Evan became the world champion a year ago, he was immediately offered a contract with the top American show "Stars on Ice
." He signed it...Lysacek as the top star had assumed additional duties of promoting the show in the USA."
Noting the connection between "Stars on Ice" and the Exhibition Gala, Vaytsekhovskaya says: "The order of performances at the Figure Skating Exhibition Gala had usually been simple: the first act is made up of the also-rans and the unfortunate - those who did not make it to the podium, the second one features medalists and champions. In Vancouver, the order seemed odd: the silver medalists of the Games, Mao Asada
and Evgeni Plushenko were wrapping up the first act. Lunacy, isn't it? However, nothing in this order was coincidental. The second half of the Gala happened to include precisely all those who Stars on Ice has had their eyes on, or those who have already settled in there [the show]."
"If we pass it over in silence we will forever remain in the backyard. We need to put the question bluntly why there was such refereeing.... We need to get to the bottom of it," said Sergei Mironov, the chairman of the Russian parliament's upper house.
The image of Plushenko being a dull and inartistic one-trick pony was dismissed as shameless propaganda, inasmuch as prior to the 2010 Olympics he had received nothing but praise for his artistry. The image was believed to have been contrived in order to cast doubt on Plushenko's legendary status, thereby grooming the viewers to accept an unprecedented win by the American over the Russian known for his consistency to perform the toughest maneuver in figure skating. "When it comes to a quadruple jump- it is quite simple really. If no one except for the one Russian skater is able to perform it, you need to make believe that this jump does not exist at all."
TV commentators and experts saw Plushenko's "saving power" in managing to land a seemingly off-axis triple Axel as a testament to what real mastery is all about, as few would have been able to save it. "This is exactly what determines the great skill of a figure skater- the ability to save a jump when needed, even in the most difficult situation. At the Olympics, mistakes are practically always bound to happen, and the one who is able to correct them wins it."
A sharp contrast to the way Plushenko was judged at the 2006 Torino Olympics was also pointed out.
In Torino, he was regarded as a genius, who after Yagudin's exit had no equals left; in Vancouver, he was perceived as an unwelcome threat to be reduced to an average skater easily bested by any Tom, Dick and Harry
.
After his retirement "men's figure skating was quietly deteriorating. If you can't fly - at least crawl prettily. Instead of the elements that a few rare individuals are able to conquer, the emphasis began to be placed on the better quality performance of what can be done by 500 men. A multitude of athletes, their coaches and sports officials had already made their plans for the upcoming Olympics. And then thunder struck - Plushenko has returned!"
“As soon as Plushenko announced his return, the ISU distributed an instruction video on the subject ‘How Not to Skate!’ And imagine, Plushenko starred in it!" said Alexei Mishin smiling..."I think the Americanadian camp whose representatives do not possess a quadruple jump didn’t want Plushenko to become the Olympic champion and did all it could to prevent that.”
Awarding silver to the strongest athlete who chose to skate a physically difficult program befitting an Olympic champion was seen by some as insulting. “The irony is that had Plushenko skated Lysacek’s program he would have done it effortlessly and without breaking a sweat. Lysacek, on the other hand, wouldn’t be able to handle Plushenko’s program,” said Dmitriev
.
Following the award ceremony, Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin
sent Plushenko a telegram, congratulating him on the wonderful Olympic performance and saying his silver was worth gold.
On March 24, 2010 Siberian jewelers decided to award Plushenko a special medal weighing more than half a kilo of pure gold.
Since its adoption in 2004, the ISU judging system
has placed a greater value on "spins, transitions and small steps" in order to balance athleticism with artistry and encourage all-around skating.
Critics, however, say that the current system achieves this balance by discouraging skaters from attempting the toughest element and leads figure skating to stagnation.
It does this, they claim, by not awarding enough points for the quadruple jump and penalizing skaters if it is not done successfully.
In 2008, the scoring system adapted a requirement that a failed quad receive a deduction of up to three points.
This has led to some skaters feeling that attempting to do a quad is not worth the risk and reward, as much easier jumps present a better opportunity for athletes to collect the needed points.
“I had one fall in my program on a triple lutz. They considered it a double with a fall. I got 1.09 points. Then Nobunari Oda
fell on a quad but they downgraded it to a triple toe because it was under-rotated and he got one point. I got more points for falling on a cheated triple lutz than he got falling on a cheated quad,” said Jeremy Abbott
on his dislike of the rule with reference to the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
.
A triple Axel is worth 8.2 points as opposed to the quad's base value of 9.8.
A skater can earn up to three bonus points if the triple Axel is well executed. Some figure skaters feel that instead of risking penalties for falling while attempting a quad, it is better to attempt a triple Axel, which is safer and more likely to be landed cleanly.
Additionally, the difference in base value between a triple Axel and a triple lutz is 2.2 points, whereas between a quadruple toe and a triple Axel it is only 1.6 points.
The degree of difficulty, however, between a triple Axel and a quad is greater than the degree of difficulty between a triple Lutz and a triple Axel. (needs reference)
Plushenko's participation at the 2010 Olympics
was not only to defend his 2006 Olympic
title, but also to show that the sport needs the quadruple jump if it wants to move with the times.
Lysacek, on the other hand, is of the opinion that skaters don't have to include the big jump as "imaginative spins, creative footwork and solid landings on non-quad jumps are enough to rack up the points under the ISU scoring system."
Lysacek's stance, however, is in sharp contrast to his own previously held view that the quad was important in winning and "reviving the flagging interest in U.S. figure skating."
Both Plushenko's and Lysacek's current points of view have only fueled the non-ending argument whether figure skating, men's in particular, should be viewed as an artistic or athletic competition.
Some say that skating needs well-rounded competitors and the balance, i.e. the better combination of artistry and athleticism should determine the gold.
Others, however, believe that it is fundamentally unfair to compare a technically superior program to a less physically demanding one, in terms of artistry, and that the subjective artistic components should be scored relative to the degree of difficulty of elements.
Awarding a less challenging technical program the gold in Vancouver, they assert, is a step backwards in time rather than forward, and is contrary to the spirit of the Olympic Games' history and its motto.
Elvis Stojko said Lysacek's long program was technically comparable to what Brian Boitano
did in 1988 and that even junior skaters could skate the same program.
The Olympics had always been viewed as the event where athletes came to push the boundaries of their sport, take risks and set new records. Now, according to Stojko, "...You don’t have to risk it. You can play it safe and win gold. In what other sports do you have to hold back in order to win?"
When asked why he had decided to include the quad in his short and long programs for the 2008 US Championships
, Lysacek's own answer indicated that he was once in agreement with Stojko's reasoning:
"I think it's important. It's good for me to keep challenging myself. I can't hold back on anything, and taking chances is what sports are about."
Plushenko's program was more ambitious and risky with the quadruple toe/ triple toe loop, while Lysacek did not even attempt the quad as a single jump "at the biggest moment on skating’s biggest stage."
Sports journalist Kevin Blackistone
wrote: "What has unfolded at the Vancouver Winter Games in figure skating would be the equivalent of not crediting Shaun White
for his double McTwist in the half pipe and rewarding less ambitious snowboarders for getting the basics perfect."
"If you look at the Olympic motto 'faster, higher, stronger', the quad represents exactly that,"
Alexei Mishin said. "Myopically focusing on transitional moves between jumps instead of on the difficulty and innovation of the jumps themselves is the equivalent of judging the 100-meter sprint on style instead of speed."
"Winning the Olympic gold medal without performing a quadruple jump is like going back to the dark ages of men's figure skating."
It's been also pointed out that it is the difficult technical elements - jumps - that have turned figure skating into a modern sport at the Olympics.
In the early days of the Olympic Winter Games, skaters performed single jumps. By the middle of the 20th century, they had graduated to double jumps. By the 80s, the triple Lutz was the benchmark for men. Throughout the 80s, it was the triple Axel, though attempts at a quad were already being made. Finally, a quadruple jump became an essential element in the programs of many men in the 90s and into the new millennium.
The fact that fewer skaters than ever before attempt to land the toughest element in figure skating, opting to go for points instead, does not represent progress, critics claim.
Following the figure skating competition in Vancouver, the ISU has been urged to reexamine the scoring system at its general assembly scheduled for June, 2010, and adopt changes in order to reward skaters who do technically difficult jumps.
The value of the quad was raised to over ten points, 10.3 at the ISU conference. The value of some triple jumps were reduced and a step sequence was removed from the short program and the second step sequence in the men's free skate would not be given a level but would have a base value of two and be judged on Grade of Execution. GOE for triple jumps was reduced in value while the GOE for the quad remained the same.
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
held in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the final results of the men’s skating competition sparked what many have dubbed a quad
Quad
Quad may refer to:-Architecture:*Quadrangle in architecture, e.g., on a university campus*Quad, a dormitory room or suite housing four residents...
controversy
Controversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn...
.
At the heart of it lies a quadruple jump, the toughest jump there is in figure skating, done in combination with a triple toe loop, which Evgeni Plushenko
Evgeni Plushenko
Evgeni Viktorovich Plushenko is a Russian figure skater. He is the 2006 Winter Olympics Gold Medalist, 2002 Winter Olympics Silver Medalist, and 2010 Winter Olympics Silver Medalist, three-time World Champion, six-time European Champion, a four-time Grand Prix Final champion and an eight-time...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
landed in both his short and long programs. Evan Lysacek
Evan Lysacek
Evan Frank Lysacek is an American figure skater. He is the 2010 Olympic champion, the 2009 World champion, the 2005 & 2007 Four Continents champion, the 2007 & 2008 U.S. national champion, and the 2009/2010 Grand Prix Final champion....
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, however, did not include quads in either of his programs.
Plushenko, who led Lysacek by half a point after the short figure skating program, was beaten out by the American in the final free skate despite performing a quadruple toe loop/triple toe loop.
Many experts of the field have offered their opinions about the results, and countless members of the general public have weighed in on the controversy through online message boards, forums and social networking sites.
Background
Though the argument over the quad has attracted attention mostly following the men's figure skating competition at the Vancouver Olympic Games of 20102010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
, the controversy itself is rooted in the quad's history, and its role at major figure skating competitions, including the Winter Olympics
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
.
The jump had become so common in men's figure skating since Kurt Browning
Kurt Browning
Kurt Browning, CM is a Canadian figure skater, choreographer and commentator. He is a four-time World Champion and four-time Canadian national champion.-Life and career:...
first landed it in 1988, that it came to be viewed as a deciding element in a winning program and the lack of it almost a handicap.
Since the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
, where Alexei Urmanov
Alexei Urmanov
Alexei Yevgenyevich Urmanov is a Russian figure skater, who currently works as a coach. He is the 1994 Olympic champion and an Honoured Masters of Sports of the Russian Federation.- Career :...
won gold without one, the quad, if landed in a competition (absent major weaknesses) made a difference between the first and lower placements. In a Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article dated January 19, 1998, E.M. Swift wrote that "no Olympic gold medal will ever again be won by a man who doesn't try a four-revolution jump." Many therefore, tried to make themselves competitive by including it in their skating arsenal.
In the twelve years leading up to the 2010 Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
, only two skaters won the World Figure Skating Championships
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
without a quadruple jump. Both wins were under the new ISU judging system
ISU Judging System
The ISU Judging System , is the scoring system on the event and on the level of competition. At the senior international level, single and pairs short programs contain eight technical elements. The actual eight elements are detailed for single skaters in ISU rule 310...
.
Jeffrey Buttle
Jeffrey Buttle
Jeffrey Buttle is a Canadian figure skater. He is the 2006 Winter Olympics bronze medalist, the 2008 World champion, the 2002 & 2004 Four Continents champion and the 2005-2007 Canadian champion. On March 22, 2008, Buttle became the first Canadian man since Elvis Stojko in 1997 to win the World Title...
's win at the 2008 Worlds
2008 World Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 World Figure Skating Championships was the World Figure Skating Championships of the 2007–2008 figure skating season. The World Championships are an annual figure skating competition in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. The event was open to figure skaters...
officially disproved the already long-standing notion that a quad was needed to win the big titles. His win is credited to have been the spark that ignited the quad controversy that came to a head at the Vancouver Olympic Games.
Brian Joubert
Brian Joubert
Brian Joubert is a French figure skater. He is the 2007 World Champion, a three-time European champion, a seven-time French National champion, and the 2006-7 Grand Prix Final champion...
, who landed three quads in a program, expressed his strong disappointment over the results and stated that the value of the jump should be raised in the current scoring system. Evan Lysacek
Evan Lysacek
Evan Frank Lysacek is an American figure skater. He is the 2010 Olympic champion, the 2009 World champion, the 2005 & 2007 Four Continents champion, the 2007 & 2008 U.S. national champion, and the 2009/2010 Grand Prix Final champion....
, like Joubert, commented that a quad was an essential part of men's skating.
In 2009, Lysacek became the second straight world champion to win without a quadruple jump.
With Evgeni Plushenko
Evgeni Plushenko
Evgeni Viktorovich Plushenko is a Russian figure skater. He is the 2006 Winter Olympics Gold Medalist, 2002 Winter Olympics Silver Medalist, and 2010 Winter Olympics Silver Medalist, three-time World Champion, six-time European Champion, a four-time Grand Prix Final champion and an eight-time...
and Stéphane Lambiel
Stéphane Lambiel
Stéphane Lambiel is a Swiss figure skater and a choreographer. He is a two-time World Champion, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Champion and a nine-time Swiss national champion...
entering the race for gold at the upcoming Olympics, the quad debate intensified.
“They saw there was two times the world champion (won) without a quad. From Todd Eldredge
Todd Eldredge
Todd James Eldredge is an American figure skater. He is the 1996 World Champion and a six-time national champion .-Biography:...
ages there was nobody without the quad to win the world,” said Czech skater Michal Březina
Michal Brezina
Michal Březina is a Czech figure skater. He is the 2011 Skate America champion, the 2009 World Junior silver medalist, and the 2010 Czech national champion.- Career :...
. “I think they did it just because of this. They want to show, if you want to be world champion of the ages you really have to do the quad. I don’t think there is any other reason."
Plushenko thought it was an embarrassment and not in keeping with the established practice that the last two world champions had won without even attempting a quadruple jump. He challenged his competition to try and win the gold in Vancouver without it.
"Whoever skates clean with a quad will win it. I don't think many will," said Lysacek of the Olympics in January, 2010.
Shortly after, however, citing the problem with his left foot stemming from a stress fracture, Lysacek said that he would not attempt a quad. When asked if he thought it would cost him gold, he replied that the new judging system makes a win possible without one: "This season has been very telling, so if you go back and look at how the international competitions have been scored, my strategy has just changed a little." “I don’t think anyone is unbeatable right now, because of the way the sport is judged. Obviously there’s a lot of room for error, but there’s also a lot of room to gain extra points on what you are doing.”
Free Skate
Lysacek, the reigning 2009 world champion at the time, finished with a career-best 257.67, 1.31 points ahead of Plushenko, becoming the first man since 1994 to win the Olympic title without doing a quadrupleQuadruple
Quadruple may refer to:* Tuple, a mathematical structure* Quadruple, a term for winning four association trophies* Quad , a figure skating jump* Home run in baseball* Quadruple-precision floating-point format in computing...
jump.
Tied with Plushenko artistically (both scored 82.80 for program components), the win for Lysacek became possible due to higher marks he received on the execution of such technical elements as jumps, spins and footwork.
Commenting on Lysacek receiving higher technical marks than Plushenko, Frank Carroll
Frank Carroll
Francis M. "Frank" Carroll is an American figure skating coach and former competitive skater. He has coached three skaters to win the World Figure Skating Championships: Linda Fratianne, Michelle Kwan, and Evan Lysacek...
, Lysacek's coach, said: “Plushenko was brilliant in the jumping. He did some brilliant, very difficult things. But if you think of his skating, he was very brilliant, then down. And very brilliant, then down. It was going in waves. Evan just sort of stayed in a straight line and kept going at a certain level from the start to the finish.”
Lysacek agreed with Carroll’s assessment as to why he was able to prevail over the three- time Olympic medalist, whose technical prowess had always been his trademark: “If it was a jumping competition, they’d give you 10 seconds to go do your best jump. But it’s about 4 minutes and 40 seconds of skating and performing from start to finish. That was my challenge tonight, and I feel like I did quite well.”
Many saw Lysacek’s free skate as a well-rounded routine performed with better quality than that of his rival.
“Plushenko may have done the quad, but the overall quality of Lysacek’s program was better,”- said Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, the president of the IOC.
Multiple Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
pairs skating champion Irina Rodnina
Irina Rodnina
Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina is one of the most successful figure skaters ever and the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships and three successive Olympic gold medals . She initially competed with Alexei Ulanov and later teamed up with Alexander Zaitsev...
said of Plushenko’s free skate: “Evgeni had one big advantage - the quadruple jump - but at the same time, in the performance of our champion, there were enough small errors that weren't noticeable to all. Lysacek, meanwhile, had a winning appearance, a balanced program, all elements carefully woven into his program, logically. And Evgeni, it was especially obvious in the second half, was skating from jump to jump.”
The way the competitors' long programs were structured as well as the marks for spins and step sequences were also mentioned as factors that ultimately tipped the scales in Lysacek's favor.
Under the new ISU judging system
ISU Judging System
The ISU Judging System , is the scoring system on the event and on the level of competition. At the senior international level, single and pairs short programs contain eight technical elements. The actual eight elements are detailed for single skaters in ISU rule 310...
all jumping passes in the last half of the free skate are worth an extra 10% in base value. In contrast to Lysacek’s five jumps, Plushenko placed only three out of his eight jumping passes in the second half of his program. The strategic placement of Lysacek's jumps erased Plushenko's quadruple toe loop/triple toe loop advantage. As a consequence, Plushenko outscored Lysacek in the jumps by only 0.3 points. In that Plushenk's lead from the short program was marginal – only 0.55 points - the scoring for the spins and step sequences was what sealed Lysacek's win. The spins ended up eating up Plushenko's 0.85 advantage, since all three of Lysacek’s spin sequences were awarded the highest level of difficulty - level 4, and only two of Plushenko’s were given that rating. This led to Lysacek outscoring Plushenko by 1.26 points in the spins. Additionally, Plushenko's step sequences were graded 0.9 points lower than Lysacek's, resulting in Lysacek’s 1.31 overall margin of victory.
Lysacek’s marginal victory in the free skate, however, unleashed a wave of criticism that a routine more difficult and Olympic in nature had lost out to the one seen as out of the eighties and “below the modern standards" of men's figure skating.
Short Program Score Controversy
Plushenko's short program drew much praise from the International press which hailed him as the "King" of figure skating who had returned.It was the score for his short program that most Russian analysts say ultimately deprived him of the highest medal.
Going into the free skate, less than a point separated Plushenko, Lysacek and Daisuke Takahashi
Daisuke Takahashi
is a Japanese figure skater, notable as the 2010 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2010 World Champion, the 2007 World silver medalist, a two-time Four Continents Champion, and a four-time Japanese national champion....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Plushenko was the only one of the three to land a quad
Quad
Quad may refer to:-Architecture:*Quadrangle in architecture, e.g., on a university campus*Quad, a dormitory room or suite housing four residents...
in combination with a triple toe loop. "I did a great short program but didn't get the marks I deserved. When I asked why, they told me I was skating early and they had to retain top marks for the last group," said Plushenko.
The scant difference in the scores, a virtual tie, was slammed in the Russian media as dubious judging.
“They ‘buried’ Zhenya (diminutive for Evgeni) before anything could be done. He should have won the short program with a 4 to 5 point lead, in my opinion. A short program is a technical one. And a 4+3 combination changes everything here because it shows that you’re capable of doing more than others," said famous Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova
Tatiana Tarasova
Tatiana Anatolyevna Tarasova is a Russian figure skating coach and national figure skating team adviser. Tarasova has been coach to more world and Olympic champions than any other coach in skating history. As of 2003, her students have won a total of 41 gold medals at the European and World...
.
Plushenko thought bias was clearly demonstrated in the scoring and expressed dismay at the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n sports officials: “After the short program, three judges placed me 21st and 22nd for skating skills. These people came to the conclusion that I cannot skate at all. Given the situation, it’s hard for me to understand where were our judges and the administration of our Skating Federation? Why couldn’t a protest be filed following the short program? This [kind of judging] should have been prevented at once, because I don’t believe my skating is of such a low level....I should have had at least a 5 point lead over my competitors. In the end however, the gap amounted to a mere 0.55 to which our Federation did not react at all.”
The Russian Olympic Committee
Russian Olympic Committee
Russian Olympic Committee , is the National Olympic Committee representing Russia.-See also:*Russian Paralympic Committee*Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee...
refused to provide legal support to Plushenko, who was going to protest the results on his own, citing the new ISU rules as barring such actions.
“Under the new ISU rules a complaint maybe lodged only if a calculation (mathematical) error occurs. If the judges err in interpreting an element or its level of difficulty, it is considered a “human error” which can not be challenged...No lawyer would take on representing Plushenko's interests as no provision for challenging the judging under these circumstances exists,” a source from the ROC
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
was quoted as saying.
Still, the head of Russia’s Skating Federation, Valentin Piseev, came under heavy criticism at home for not standing up vigorously enough for Plushenko in the face of ‘the judges’ arbitrary scoring.'
“Evgeni’s silver medal is a colossal result. The result achieved by him, his coach, choreographer and his spouse. But if the Federation had stepped in, he would have taken home the gold,” said Irina Rodnina
Irina Rodnina
Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina is one of the most successful figure skaters ever and the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships and three successive Olympic gold medals . She initially competed with Alexei Ulanov and later teamed up with Alexander Zaitsev...
.
Joe Inman's email
In the days leading up to the Winter Olympics, a US skating judge, Joe Inman, had set off a controversy by sending an email to 60 judges and officials, in which he drew attention to Plushenko's words spoken at a news conference in BratislavaBratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
on January 27, 2010:
"If the judges want someone to place high, they can arrange it. Like in TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
,
Brian JoubertBrian JoubertBrian Joubert is a French figure skater. He is the 2007 World Champion, a three-time European champion, a seven-time French National champion, and the 2006-7 Grand Prix Final champion...
got more points for his transitions than me, although we did exactly the
same transitions on the ice. In fact, we don't have any transitions because we focus on
our jumps. So there are lobbies in the new scoring system as well, and the judges can
influence the result."
The email encouraged to mark presentation scores more accurately by stating: "It is telling that Mr. Plushenko acknowledges having no transitions in his routine. The judges seem to miss what he is saying. We as judges should think about what we saw before putting that mark down."
Despite Joe Inman insisting that the emails were sent in innocence and meant to be a simple exchange among friends and teaching tools for people who had attended his seminars, the incident had touched off a frenzy in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and was seen as evidence of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
lobbying judges against Evgeni Plushenko and Brian Joubert
Joe Inman was not a judge at the Olympic Games in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Judging
“Let me say this very clearly: The IOCInternational Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
has discussed this with the International Skating Union
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...
, the judging has been absolutely impeccable, there is nothing to criticize the judges. They have applied the system that has been approved,” Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
said.
However, many disagreed, some vehemently, calling the judging process no less scandalous than the judging controversy of the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
and cited the athletes' scores as proof, in and of itself, of it being poor and biased. Alexei Mishin
Alexei Mishin
Alexei Nikolaevich Mishin is a Russian figure skating coach and former pair skater. With partner Tamara Moskvina, he was the 1969 World silver medalist and USSR national champion....
, Plushenko's coach, was furious at the judges and called their marks "nonsense," "wrong" and "criminal." Elvis Stojko
Elvis Stojko
Elvis Stojko, MSC, MSM is a Canadian figure skater. He is a three-time World champion , two-time Olympic silver medalist , and seven-time Canadian champion ....
called the judges’ scoring ridiculous.
Like Stojko, many believed that Plushenko, not Lysacek, deserved the gold medal and that Johnny Weir
Johnny Weir
John Garvin "Johnny" Weir is an American figure skater. He is a three-time U.S. National Champion , the 2008 Worlds bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and the 2001 World Junior Champion....
outskated Patrick Chan
Patrick Chan
Patrick Chan is a Canadian figure skater.He is the 2011 World Champion, 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, the 2009 and 2010 World silver medalist, the 2007 World Junior silver medalist and a four-time Canadian Champion.At the 2010 Canadian Championships, he...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and should have been, if not on the podium, at least higher than sixth.
Three-time Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
medalist Artur Dmitriev
Artur Dmitriev
Artur Valeryevich Dmitriev is a Ukrainian-born Russian pair skater who competed internationally for the Soviet Union, the Unified Team, and Russia. He is a two-time Olympic Champion with Natalia Mishkutenok and Oksana Kazakova in 1992 and 1998 respectively, and also won Olympic silver in 1994...
thought the score for Lysacek seemed a bit too high, though not surprising, considering the same judges awarded Chan a 160.30 despite his several errors and even a fall on one of his jumps. Not only the score was higher than Weir's but it was only by 5.21 points lower than Plushenko's 165.51.
"The ultimate score that Patrick Chan got did not in any way reflect his level of skating [at the Olympics]. It says a lot - not only that the judges were biased. It also proves that the current judging system that replaced the old one to assure more objectivity does not work," noted Dmitriev.
Tatiana Tarasova, who helped to train Evan Lysacek in 2009, called the high evaluation of the components of his program in Vancouver "simply hooliganism," adding that Plushenko's gold medal "was taken away from him."
"When a person performs a quadruple jump, which is contested by a triple, and (both contenders) gain the same points, it raises questions," said Plushenko about the judges' marks.
Reinhard E. Ketterer
Reinhard E. Ketterer
Reinhard E. Ketterer is a German retired competitive figure skater who competed for West Germany as a single skater and pair skater. As a single skater, he is the 1969 German national champion, and as a pair skater, he is the 1972 German bronze medalist with partner Gabriele Cieplik...
, the head coach of the Berlin Figure Skating Association, said: “We too are in shock. As of today, Plushenko is, without a doubt, the best figure skater in the world and quite justifiably so. He has a lot more difficult technical elements in his arsenal than others. The main thing is that he performed a quadruple toe loop – and that’s what is expected of a real champion. Figure skating is not a ballet but a sporting competition. It seems to me that the judges had already in advance given their preference to Lysacek. As a coach, I felt it right away."
Lysacek did not get a 2 or 3 point deduction for a wrong-edged takeoff on his triple flip which would have changed the final standings of the men's figure skating competition in Plushenko's favor.
Responding to opinions that a little strategizing, including a 4+3+2 combination, for example, or adding another jump to the program would have easily propelled him to victory, Plushenko said that nothing would have changed what had already been decided. "...All of it is pish posh. Well, judge for yourselves: for the quality of my skating, three judges placed me 21st and 22nd. Strangely, the computer did not drop any one of the three. But what it did instead was to drop those judges who awarded me first place. Under the current system, if this is the way judges' marks are awarded, you can win, and you can just as equally lose. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to criticize the new rules; they are not bad. But they do need further refinement.”
Explaining the difference in the way Plushenko's program components were judged in the short program and the way they were judged in the free skate, Valentin Piseev commented:
"After what happened in the short program, I immediately turned to Panov, the Russian member of the ISU
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...
, who in turn informed Cinquanta
Ottavio Cinquanta
Ottavio Cinquanta , is currently President of the International Skating Union and a member of the International Olympic Committee.He has held the ISU position since 1994 and the IOC position since 1996....
, the ISU's president. Cinquanta got in touch with the sports director, notified him of our Federation’s statement and said that he himself would take the situation under his personal control. As a result, in Plushenko’s free skate, his components were judged just as Lysacek’s."
In scoring Plushenko's “transitions/linking footwork” component, the judges seem to have been influenced by the Joe Inman email.
Elena Tchaikovskaia
Elena Tchaikovskaia
Elena Anatolyevna Tchaikovskaia, also spelled as Chaykovskaya or Chaikovskaia is a Russian figure skating coach and choreographer. She runs a skating school at the Yantar Sports Center, built in 2010 in the Strogino District west of Moscow...
commented on what ultimately turned out to be one determining factor in the competition: “Everyone's talking about transitions, everyone's talking about step sequences but, honest to God, for the first time in my life I'm hearing that an Olympic champion is winning the Games because of transitions between the elements!”
In the short program, the judges gave Plushenko 6.8 for transitions — an all-time career low and a point lower than the scores he received for the four other components. Ten skaters were given higher marks than Plushenko for transitions in the long program.
At two international competitions held prior to the Vancouver Olympics, however, Plushenko earned transition scores in the 7-7.5 range for the same programs he skated at the Olympics.
Plushenko won the 2006 Olympics with a 7.82 mark for transitions in the short program and a 7.75 in the free skate, which were the highest marks given for transitions in the men’s competition.
According to Alexei Mishin
Alexei Mishin
Alexei Nikolaevich Mishin is a Russian figure skating coach and former pair skater. With partner Tamara Moskvina, he was the 1969 World silver medalist and USSR national champion....
, the low transition scores in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
were the result of "the information war" against Plushenko.
Monetary interests
Explaining how Plushenko's technically superior short program was judged nearly equal to Lysacek's, Russian newspaper Express reported: “Not long before the Olympics, the International Skating Union (ISU) held talks with the U.S. television network ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
regarding a long-term contract. From reliable sources we learned that a condition had been placed on the ISU: the contract would be signed only if the U.S. got a gold in figure skating. The first place for the US in pairs and women’s skating competitions was out of the question so the focus was on ice dancing and men’s skating. Since Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue
Tessa Virtue
Tessa Virtue is a Canadian ice dancer who competes with Scott Moir. Virtue and Moir are the 2010 Olympic champions, the 2010 World Champions, the 2008 Four Continents Champions, the 2006 World Junior Champions and the 2008–2010 Canadian national champions.At the 2009 Skate Canada competition, they...
and Scott Moir
Scott Moir
Scott Moir is a Canadian ice dancer. He ice dances with Tessa Virtue. Moir and Virtue are the 2010 Olympic champions, the 2010 World Champions, the 2008 Four Continents Champions, the 2006 World Junior Champions and the 2008–2010 Canadian national champions.They were the first ice dance team to...
were considered favorites, having highly influential benefactors on top of that, the decision was ultimately made to 'pull' Evan Lysacek up as the champion. 'Plushenko had no chances from the outset,' said a man familiar in the judging circles. 'Everything had been decided in advance. He was mercilessly robbed in the short program, and in the free skate, the referees just dynamically finished the matter off.' "
Russian sports analyst and commentator Elena Vaytsekhovskaya
Elena Vaytsekhovskaya
Elena Vaytsekhovskaya is a former Soviet diver and Olympic champion. She competed at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, where she received a gold medal in platform....
in her article entitled “The Curtain” wrote: "Shortly before the Games, a rumor was leaked out from the top circles of the ISU that the International Skating Union was going to sign their next contract with American Television. The ISU already had such a contract before. But it was rather minuscule; five times smaller than the one rumored. From the first rumor there at once arose a second: allegedly because of this contract looming on the horizon the ISU would be exerting every effort to make sure that American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian figure skaters receive the top placements possible at the Games."
She continues: "Even before the Games came to a close it became known that Lysacek wouldn't be a participant at the Worlds in March. The American right away was furtively accused of simply being afraid; as though the risk of losing, which would tarnish the glimmer of the highest Olympic title, was too great. In reality, all was a bit different. After Evan became the world champion a year ago, he was immediately offered a contract with the top American show "Stars on Ice
Stars on Ice
Stars on Ice is a touring figure skating show produced by IMG. It was originally conceived in 1986 as a vehicle for IMG client Scott Hamilton, who had been released from his contract with Ice Capades, after being told that male skaters do not sell tickets...
." He signed it...Lysacek as the top star had assumed additional duties of promoting the show in the USA."
Noting the connection between "Stars on Ice" and the Exhibition Gala, Vaytsekhovskaya says: "The order of performances at the Figure Skating Exhibition Gala had usually been simple: the first act is made up of the also-rans and the unfortunate - those who did not make it to the podium, the second one features medalists and champions. In Vancouver, the order seemed odd: the silver medalists of the Games, Mao Asada
Mao Asada
is a Japanese figure skater.She is the 2010 Winter Olympic silver medalist, the 2008 & 2010 World champion, the 2008 & 2010 Four Continents champion, a two-time Grand Prix Final champion, the 2005 World Junior champion, the 2004–2005 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and a four-time Japanese...
and Evgeni Plushenko were wrapping up the first act. Lunacy, isn't it? However, nothing in this order was coincidental. The second half of the Gala happened to include precisely all those who Stars on Ice has had their eyes on, or those who have already settled in there [the show]."
Russia's reaction
In Russia, Plushenko's loss to Lysacek was seen by the majority of sports experts, analysts, commentators and the public as due to the judges' collusion and corruption."If we pass it over in silence we will forever remain in the backyard. We need to put the question bluntly why there was such refereeing.... We need to get to the bottom of it," said Sergei Mironov, the chairman of the Russian parliament's upper house.
The image of Plushenko being a dull and inartistic one-trick pony was dismissed as shameless propaganda, inasmuch as prior to the 2010 Olympics he had received nothing but praise for his artistry. The image was believed to have been contrived in order to cast doubt on Plushenko's legendary status, thereby grooming the viewers to accept an unprecedented win by the American over the Russian known for his consistency to perform the toughest maneuver in figure skating. "When it comes to a quadruple jump- it is quite simple really. If no one except for the one Russian skater is able to perform it, you need to make believe that this jump does not exist at all."
TV commentators and experts saw Plushenko's "saving power" in managing to land a seemingly off-axis triple Axel as a testament to what real mastery is all about, as few would have been able to save it. "This is exactly what determines the great skill of a figure skater- the ability to save a jump when needed, even in the most difficult situation. At the Olympics, mistakes are practically always bound to happen, and the one who is able to correct them wins it."
A sharp contrast to the way Plushenko was judged at the 2006 Torino Olympics was also pointed out.
In Torino, he was regarded as a genius, who after Yagudin's exit had no equals left; in Vancouver, he was perceived as an unwelcome threat to be reduced to an average skater easily bested by any Tom, Dick and Harry
Tom, Dick and Harry
The phrase "Tom, Dick and Harry" is a placeholder for multiple unspecified people; "Tom, Dick or Harry" plays the same role for one unspecified person. The phrase most commonly occurs as "every Tom, Dick and Harry", meaning everyone, and "any Tom, Dick or Harry", meaning anyone, although Brewer...
.
After his retirement "men's figure skating was quietly deteriorating. If you can't fly - at least crawl prettily. Instead of the elements that a few rare individuals are able to conquer, the emphasis began to be placed on the better quality performance of what can be done by 500 men. A multitude of athletes, their coaches and sports officials had already made their plans for the upcoming Olympics. And then thunder struck - Plushenko has returned!"
“As soon as Plushenko announced his return, the ISU distributed an instruction video on the subject ‘How Not to Skate!’ And imagine, Plushenko starred in it!" said Alexei Mishin smiling..."I think the Americanadian camp whose representatives do not possess a quadruple jump didn’t want Plushenko to become the Olympic champion and did all it could to prevent that.”
Awarding silver to the strongest athlete who chose to skate a physically difficult program befitting an Olympic champion was seen by some as insulting. “The irony is that had Plushenko skated Lysacek’s program he would have done it effortlessly and without breaking a sweat. Lysacek, on the other hand, wouldn’t be able to handle Plushenko’s program,” said Dmitriev
Artur Dmitriev
Artur Valeryevich Dmitriev is a Ukrainian-born Russian pair skater who competed internationally for the Soviet Union, the Unified Team, and Russia. He is a two-time Olympic Champion with Natalia Mishkutenok and Oksana Kazakova in 1992 and 1998 respectively, and also won Olympic silver in 1994...
.
Following the award ceremony, Russian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Russia
The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation The use of the term "Prime Minister" is strictly informal and is not allowed for by the Russian Constitution and other laws....
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
sent Plushenko a telegram, congratulating him on the wonderful Olympic performance and saying his silver was worth gold.
On March 24, 2010 Siberian jewelers decided to award Plushenko a special medal weighing more than half a kilo of pure gold.
Quad in the ISU Code of Points System
The controversial final outcome of the men's skate at the Olympics has intensified the debate over the value of the quadruple jump and the athleticism it embodies in the ISU scoring system.Since its adoption in 2004, the ISU judging system
ISU Judging System
The ISU Judging System , is the scoring system on the event and on the level of competition. At the senior international level, single and pairs short programs contain eight technical elements. The actual eight elements are detailed for single skaters in ISU rule 310...
has placed a greater value on "spins, transitions and small steps" in order to balance athleticism with artistry and encourage all-around skating.
Critics, however, say that the current system achieves this balance by discouraging skaters from attempting the toughest element and leads figure skating to stagnation.
It does this, they claim, by not awarding enough points for the quadruple jump and penalizing skaters if it is not done successfully.
In 2008, the scoring system adapted a requirement that a failed quad receive a deduction of up to three points.
This has led to some skaters feeling that attempting to do a quad is not worth the risk and reward, as much easier jumps present a better opportunity for athletes to collect the needed points.
“I had one fall in my program on a triple lutz. They considered it a double with a fall. I got 1.09 points. Then Nobunari Oda
Nobunari Oda
is a Japanese figure skater. He is the 2006 Four Continents Champion, the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, the 2005 World Junior Champion and the 2008 Japanese National Champion.- Personal life :...
fell on a quad but they downgraded it to a triple toe because it was under-rotated and he got one point. I got more points for falling on a cheated triple lutz than he got falling on a cheated quad,” said Jeremy Abbott
Jeremy Abbott
Jeremy Abbott is an American figure skater. He is the 2008 Grand Prix Final Champion, a two-time Four Continents bronze medalist and two-time U.S. national champion. He represented the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he placed ninth.-Personal life:Jeremy Abbott was born in...
on his dislike of the rule with reference to the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The International Skating Union established it in 1999 to provide skaters representing non-European countries with a similar competition to the much older European Figure Skating Championships and a chance...
.
A triple Axel is worth 8.2 points as opposed to the quad's base value of 9.8.
A skater can earn up to three bonus points if the triple Axel is well executed. Some figure skaters feel that instead of risking penalties for falling while attempting a quad, it is better to attempt a triple Axel, which is safer and more likely to be landed cleanly.
Additionally, the difference in base value between a triple Axel and a triple lutz is 2.2 points, whereas between a quadruple toe and a triple Axel it is only 1.6 points.
The degree of difficulty, however, between a triple Axel and a quad is greater than the degree of difficulty between a triple Lutz and a triple Axel. (needs reference)
Future of Figure Skating
The results of the men's figure skating competition have also revived the debate on figure skating's identity and the direction in which it is headed as a sport. It is perceived by many as the Athleticism vs Artistry debate and the two points argued are clearly demonstrated in the viewpoints of both medalists.Plushenko's participation at the 2010 Olympics
Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics
The figure skating competition of the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Pacific Coliseum between February 14 and 27, 2010. It was the 23rd edition of the figure skating event at the Olympics, and the 21st edition at the Winter Olympics....
was not only to defend his 2006 Olympic
Figure skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Four figure skating events were held at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, at the Palavela venue.Lithuanian ice dancers Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas became the first figure skaters to compete at five Olympics....
title, but also to show that the sport needs the quadruple jump if it wants to move with the times.
“Of course we need transitions and spins and steps, harder and harder. But I don’t know, I was making triples in 1994. I know in speedskating they have timing [world records], it gets better. BiathlonBiathlonBiathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
, they have new timing. I think we stopped," said Plushenko.
Lysacek, on the other hand, is of the opinion that skaters don't have to include the big jump as "imaginative spins, creative footwork and solid landings on non-quad jumps are enough to rack up the points under the ISU scoring system."
"If it was a jumping competition, there'd be no music, they'd give you 10 seconds to do your best jump and that would be it. But it's about the performance, it's what makes us so unique and so emotional for an audience to watch. I don't know why some people are so hung up on one particular element. That's one step out of a four minute 40 second free skate. Each and every step we take from the starting pose to the ending pose is accumulating points," said Lysacek.
Lysacek's stance, however, is in sharp contrast to his own previously held view that the quad was important in winning and "reviving the flagging interest in U.S. figure skating."
"I think we lost our big brand with the 6.0 [scoring system]. That was what everyone knew, whether they had ever watched skating or not. It's tough to rope people in when you don't have a brand -- and I think the brand now is the quad. Even when people see me on the street, all they know is the quad. So I think it's important for us to represent that."
Both Plushenko's and Lysacek's current points of view have only fueled the non-ending argument whether figure skating, men's in particular, should be viewed as an artistic or athletic competition.
Some say that skating needs well-rounded competitors and the balance, i.e. the better combination of artistry and athleticism should determine the gold.
Others, however, believe that it is fundamentally unfair to compare a technically superior program to a less physically demanding one, in terms of artistry, and that the subjective artistic components should be scored relative to the degree of difficulty of elements.
Awarding a less challenging technical program the gold in Vancouver, they assert, is a step backwards in time rather than forward, and is contrary to the spirit of the Olympic Games' history and its motto.
Elvis Stojko said Lysacek's long program was technically comparable to what Brian Boitano
Brian Boitano
Brian Anthony Boitano is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985-1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional following the 1988 season...
did in 1988 and that even junior skaters could skate the same program.
The Olympics had always been viewed as the event where athletes came to push the boundaries of their sport, take risks and set new records. Now, according to Stojko, "...You don’t have to risk it. You can play it safe and win gold. In what other sports do you have to hold back in order to win?"
When asked why he had decided to include the quad in his short and long programs for the 2008 US Championships
2008 United States Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 United States Figure Skating Championships was the figure skating national championship to determine the national champions of the United States for the 2007/2008 season. It was organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. In addition to determining the national champions,...
, Lysacek's own answer indicated that he was once in agreement with Stojko's reasoning:
"I think it's important. It's good for me to keep challenging myself. I can't hold back on anything, and taking chances is what sports are about."
Plushenko's program was more ambitious and risky with the quadruple toe/ triple toe loop, while Lysacek did not even attempt the quad as a single jump "at the biggest moment on skating’s biggest stage."
Sports journalist Kevin Blackistone
Kevin Blackistone
Kevin B. Blackistone is a columnist for Fanhouse.com, also a frequent panelist for ESPN's Around the Horn and on Sundays for Comcast's Redskins Postgame Live. On radio, he appears as a frequent guest cohost on the Sports Reporters on DC's ESPN980.-Career:He was born in Washington, D.C...
wrote: "What has unfolded at the Vancouver Winter Games in figure skating would be the equivalent of not crediting Shaun White
Shaun White
Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American...
for his double McTwist in the half pipe and rewarding less ambitious snowboarders for getting the basics perfect."
"If you look at the Olympic motto 'faster, higher, stronger', the quad represents exactly that,"
Alexei Mishin said. "Myopically focusing on transitional moves between jumps instead of on the difficulty and innovation of the jumps themselves is the equivalent of judging the 100-meter sprint on style instead of speed."
"Winning the Olympic gold medal without performing a quadruple jump is like going back to the dark ages of men's figure skating."
It's been also pointed out that it is the difficult technical elements - jumps - that have turned figure skating into a modern sport at the Olympics.
In the early days of the Olympic Winter Games, skaters performed single jumps. By the middle of the 20th century, they had graduated to double jumps. By the 80s, the triple Lutz was the benchmark for men. Throughout the 80s, it was the triple Axel, though attempts at a quad were already being made. Finally, a quadruple jump became an essential element in the programs of many men in the 90s and into the new millennium.
The fact that fewer skaters than ever before attempt to land the toughest element in figure skating, opting to go for points instead, does not represent progress, critics claim.
Following the figure skating competition in Vancouver, the ISU has been urged to reexamine the scoring system at its general assembly scheduled for June, 2010, and adopt changes in order to reward skaters who do technically difficult jumps.
The value of the quad was raised to over ten points, 10.3 at the ISU conference. The value of some triple jumps were reduced and a step sequence was removed from the short program and the second step sequence in the men's free skate would not be given a level but would have a base value of two and be judged on Grade of Execution. GOE for triple jumps was reduced in value while the GOE for the quad remained the same.
See also
- Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's singlesFigure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's singlesThe men's single skating competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at the Pacific Coliseum on February 16 and February 18 , 2010.-Short program results:-Free skate results:-Overall results:Referee:...
- 2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating scandal2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating scandalAt the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, the figure skating competition was the source of much controversy and one of the immediate causes for the revamp of scoring in figure skating.-The competition:...