|
Olympic Skating Scandal Hearings Begin
2002-04-29
LAUSANNE, Switzerland - The International Skating Union held a nine-hour hearing into the Olympic figure skating scandal Monday, with the French judge at the center of the dispute complaining she was the victim of an ``organized massacre.'' A lawyer described the opening session of the two-day, closed-door hearings as ``intense.'' Judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne and French skating boss Didier Gailhaguet were called before the council to answer charges they manipulated the result of the pairs competition at the Salt Lake City Games. Le Gougne was suspended indefinitely by the ISU for alleged misconduct after initially declaring she was instructed by Gailhaguet to vote for the victorious Russian pair ahead of the Canadians, who were later awarded duplicate gold medals. Le Gougne retracted the accusation against Gailhaguet, saying she was in emotional distress at the time and had been harassed by ISU officials into making false claims against him. Gailhaguet has denied any wrongdoing. ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta said Monday he hopes the hearings will prevent further scandals and help reform the sport. ``We want to resolve the grave matter of Salt Lake City once and for all,'' he told The Associated Press. ``But we also think the consequences of the hearing can have a positive effect for the whole sport.'' Cinquanta said he expects the council to deliver its verdict by Tuesday evening. Until then, all parties in the case were asked to observe a confidentiality agreement. ``It's going very professionally, very respectfully,'' Cinquanta said after Monday morning's three-hour session. ``The general atmosphere is good.'' Max Miller, one of Le Gougne's American attorneys, declined to discuss details of the meeting. But when asked to describe the atmosphere, he replied, ``intense.'' Le Gougne and Gailhaguet appeared separately before the council. Le Gougne declined to comment after coming out of the conference room. But in an interview in Monday's edition of the French sports paper L'Equipe, she claimed the case was stacked against her. ``It's a one-way hearing, an organized massacre,'' Le Gougne said. Gailhaguet emerged from the opening session saying he remained available for further questioning. ``Everything is normal. No problems,'' he said. Gailhaguet's lawyer, Alexander Brabant, said, ``It's going pretty well so far. I'll be able to say more tomorrow night.'' Claire Ferguson, the U.S. representative on the council, put her fingers to her lips to indicate she was not permitted to speak to the media. Referee Ron Pfenning and Jon Jackson, a skating judge who testified that he witnessed a confession of vote-fixing by Le Gougne, had asked the ISU council to bar Ferguson from the hearing on grounds she had prejudged the case in favor of the French. But Ferguson was inside for all of the opening session. The ISU issued a statement reiterating that the hearings were ``confidential'' and that no announcements would be made until a verdict is reached. ``All involved parties have been asked to respect the confidentiality of the proceedings until a decision is taken,'' it said. Cinquanta said: ``We will give everyone a fair hearing.'' At the Salt Lake Games in February, witnesses said Le Gougne broke down in a review meeting and said she voted for Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze under pressure from Gailhaguet. The ISU awarded gold medals to Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier on the premise of Le Gougne's alleged misconduct. Le Gougne insists she's a ``scapegoat'' and voted for the Russians in good conscience. In an interview with CBS' ``60 Minutes'' on Sunday, Le Gougne said a male Canadian judge approached her an hour before the pairs event and asked for help with Sale and Pelletier. Asked what that meant, Le Gougne said, ``Help him to have the Canadian couple earn the first place.'' She is seeking reinstatement and says she will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if the ISU rules against her. Gailhaguet said Sunday he would go to court - possibly the European Court for Human Rights - if he's not cleared. ``We will go to the end to defend our rights and the reputation of our federation,'' Gailhaguet told the AP. Gailhaguet, who also is an ISU Council member, said he was the target of a plot within the world federation led by British and North American interests. ``If you want to kill a dog, you say it has rabies,'' he said. ``But watch out, the dog can turn into a wolf. I will not be done in by Anglo-Saxon lobbying.'' Other French judges have come forward in recent weeks to accuse Gailhaguet of pressuring them. One, Gilles Vandenbroeck, told ``60 Minutes'' he was expelled by the federation when he made his accusations several years ago. ``Probably Marie-Reine, after her first testimony in Salt Lake City, thought of cases like mine, and thought, `If I go on attacking Didier Gailhaguet, what am I facing?''' said Vandenbroeck, a judge for 15 years. So it's perfectly understandable that she'd change her mind.'' AP... ... | Note: this page has been archived under Muzi Premium Version and is only available to premium members. Please use the Premium Personal Password (PPP) to log in.
Premium Member Click Here Login 
|
|
