Figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Pair skating

{{Short description|none}} {{Featured article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox Olympic event |event = Figure skating pair skating |games = 2002 Winter |image = Figure skating pictogram.svg |image_size = 100px |caption = Figure skating |alt = Figure skating pictogram |venue = Salt Lake Ice Center<br>Salt Lake City, Utah |date = February 9 & 11, 2002 |competitors = 20 teams |nations = 12 |win_label = |win_value = |gold = Elena Berezhnaya<br>and Anton Sikharulidze |goldNOC = RUS |gold2 = Jamie Salé<br>and David Pelletier |goldNOC2 = CAN |bronze = Shen Xue<br>and Zhao Hongbo |bronzeNOC = CHN }} [[File:Belarus stamp no. 449 - 2002 Winter Olympics.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Belarusian stamp commemorating the 2002 Winter Olympics|alt=Stamp depicting a man and a woman skating]] The pairs figure skating competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics was held on February 9 and 11 at the Salt Lake Ice Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. Originally, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia won the gold medals, while Jamie Salé and David Pelletier of Canada won the silver, and Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China won the bronze. However, after the event concluded, allegations of vote swapping led to one judge's scores being discarded; Salé and Pelletier were also awarded gold medals, while Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze were allowed to keep theirs. In a joint press conference on February 15, the International Skating Union (ISU) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Marie-Reine Le Gougne, the French judge implicated in collusion, was guilty of misconduct and was suspended effective immediately. In 2004, the ISU voted to change the 6.0 judging system because it was considered too subjective. As a result, the ISU Judging System was created, whereby skaters and teams were scored based on a technical grade of execution of the required elements.

== Background == The pair skating event was one of four figure skating competitions contested at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. It was held at the Salt Lake Ice Center over two nights: the short program took place on February 9 and the free skating on February 11.<ref name="SkatingApril2002" /> The pairs event was highly anticipated, as the field of contenders was considered especially strong. Joy Goodwin, a former producer for ABC Sports, described the field as "probably the greatest collection of talent ever assembled in pairs skating on a single night".<ref name="ESPN04182008" />

Jamie Salé and David Pelletier of Canada had won the 2001 World Figure Skating Championships, while Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia had finished in second place, and Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China had finished in third.<ref name="SkatingMay2001">{{cite magazine |last=Zanca |first=Salvatore |date=May 2001 |title=2001 Champions of the World |url=https://skatingmagazine.blob.core.windows.net/resources/issue/200105.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2026 |website=Skating|issue=5|volume=78|pages=14, 20–21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260305213303/https://skatingmagazine.blob.core.windows.net/resources/issue/200105.pdf|archive-date=March 5, 2026}}</ref> Salé and Pelletier were also two-time Four Continents champions (2000 and 2001) and two-time Canadian national champions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 29, 2007 |title=Jamie Sale & David Pelletier |url=https://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00003407.htm |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2026 |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202114226/https://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00003407.htm |publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref> Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze were two-time world champions (1998 and 1999), two-time European champions (1998 and 2001), and had also won the silver medals at the 1998 Winter Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yelena Berezhnaya |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/80636 |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2026 |website=Olympedia |archive-date=December 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211221354/https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/80636 }}</ref> Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo had won the 1999 Four Continents Championships and were eight-time Chinese national champions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2010 |title=Competition Results – Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhao |url=https://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs_cr_00000595.htm |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2026 |archive-date=April 26, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426082351/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs_cr_00000595.htm |publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref>

== Qualification == Twenty teams were eligible to compete in the pairs event at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Sixteen quota spots were awarded based on the results of the 2001 World Figure Skating Championships. Four additional quota spots were to be earned at the 2001 Golden Spin of Zagreb.<ref name="ISU1132">{{cite web |date=September 3, 2001 |title=Communication No. 1132: Entries/Participation 2002 Olympic Winter Games (OWG) |url=http://ww2.isu.org/news/1132.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719053427/http://ww2.isu.org/news/1132.html |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |access-date=March 20, 2007 |publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref> Poland had originally qualified two quota spots in pair skating after the World Championships; however, the Polish Figure Skating Association returned one spot when they chose to send only one team to the Olympics. That extra spot was also made available at the Golden Spin of Zagreb.<ref name="SkatingJanuary2002">{{cite magazine |last=Fawcett |first=Laura |title=Salt Lake Dreamin' |url=https://magazinearchive.blob.core.windows.net/resources/issue/200201.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2026 |website=Skating|date=January 2002|pages=12–14|issue=1|volume=79 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260305213618/https://magazinearchive.blob.core.windows.net/resources/issue/200201.pdf|archive-date=March 5, 2026}}</ref>

Sarah Abitbol and Stéphane Bernadis of France, the bronze medalists at the 2000 World Figure Skating Championships and eight-time French national champions,<ref name="TAS02052002" /> had been forced to withdraw from the 2001 World Championships after the short program when Bernadis was injured.<ref name="SkatingMay2001" /> Abitbol and Bernadis earned a spot at the Olympics by winning the 2001 Golden Spin of Zagreb.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2003 |title=Golden Spin 2001 – Pairs |url=https://results.isu.org/events/cat00003268.htm |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260305213904/https://results.isu.org/events/cat00003268.htm|archive-date=March 5, 2026|publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref> However, Abitbol ruptured her Achilles tendon shortly before the competition began, forcing her and Bernadis to withdraw.<ref name=TAS02052002>{{cite news |date=February 5, 2002 |title=Au revoir |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-anniston-star-au-revoir/192738761/ |access-date=March 5, 2026 |work=The Anniston Star |page=16 |via=Newspapers.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Their spot was re-allocated to Armenia, who sent Maria Krasiltseva and Artem Znachkov.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Beverley |date=February 7, 2002 |title=Armenians step in |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-globe-and-mail-armenians-step-in/192740215/ |url-status= |access-date=March 5, 2026 |work=The Globe and Mail |pages=S3 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:left" |+Qualifying nations in pairs<ref name="ISU1132" /><ref name="SkatingJanuary2002" /> ! scope="col" | Event ! scope="col" | Teams<br>per {{Abbr|NOC|National Olympic Committee}} ! scope="col" | Qualifying NOCs ! scope="col" | Total<br>teams |- ! rowspan=3 scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:left" | 2001 World Championships | align="center" | 3 | {{CAN}}<br>{{CHN}}<br>{{RUS}} | rowspan = 3 align="center" | 15 |- | align="center" | 2 | <s>{{POL}}</s>{{efn|Poland relinquished one of their two quota spots.}}<br>{{UKR}}<br>{{USA}} |- | align="center" | 1 | {{CZE}}<br>{{POL}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | 2001 Golden Spin of Zagreb | align="center" | 1 | {{ARM}}<br><s>{{FRA}}</s>{{efn|Sarah Abitbol and Stéphane Bernadis of France withdrew just prior to the competition after Abitbol suffered an injury during practice.<ref name="TAS02052002" />}}<br>{{GER}}<br>{{ITA}}<br>{{SVK}}<br>{{UZB}} | align="center" | 5 |- ! colspan="3" scope="row" | Total | align="center" | '''20''' |} {{notelist}}

== Competition == In the pairs competition, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia – the silver medalists from the 1998 Winter Olympics – were in first place after the short program, while Jamie Salé and David Pelletier of Canada were in second. Salé and Pelletier had tripped and fallen on their closing pose when Pelletier hit a rut in the ice. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China were in third place.<ref name="SkatingApril2002" />

Salé and Sikharulidze collided on the ice during their warm-up prior to the free skate, though neither skater appeared to have suffered any serious ill effects. Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze made a minor, yet obvious, technical error when Sikharulidze stepped out of his double Axel, and both throw jumps showed shaky landings. Salé and Pelletier performed their ''Love Story'' free skate program, which they had used in previous seasons and had been well received at the earlier 2002 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. They skated a flawless program, albeit one that some experts considered to be of lesser difficulty than that of Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine |last=Swift |first=E. M. |date=February 25, 2002 |title=Thorny Issue |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2002/02/25/thorny-issue-canadian-pair-david-pelletier-and-jamie-sale-got-belated-gold-even-as-a-judging-scandal-so-shook-the-sport-that-it-brought-talk-of-long-overdue-reform |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312044551/https://vault.si.com/vault/2002/02/25/thorny-issue-canadian-pair-david-pelletier-and-jamie-sale-got-belated-gold-even-as-a-judging-scandal-so-shook-the-sport-that-it-brought-talk-of-long-overdue-reform |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |access-date=August 20, 2021 |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}</ref> The 6.0 system of scoring was in use at this time, where the judges awarded two marks for each performance: one for technical merit and one for presentation, and each expressed as a number on a scale from 0 to 6.0.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kestnbaum |first=Ellyn |title=Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0819566423 |location=Middletown, Connecticut |page=12}}</ref> Salé and Pelletier received 5.9s and 5.8s for technical merit, while Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze received mostly 5.8s and 5.7s. However, the Canadians received only four 5.9s for presentation, while the Russians received seven. Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze were awarded the gold, Salé and Pelletier the silver, and Shen and Zhao the bronze.<ref name="SkatingApril2002">{{cite magazine |date=April 2002 |title=Olympic Destiny |url=https://magazinearchive.blob.core.windows.net/resources/issue/200204.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=January 23, 2025 |website=Skating|last=Fawcett|first=Laura|issue=4|volume=79|pages=11–13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260108073014/https://magazinearchive.blob.core.windows.net/resources/issue/200204.pdf|archive-date=January 8, 2026}}</ref>

===Judges and officials=== {| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:left" |+Judges and officials for the pair skating event at the 2002 Winter Olympics<ref name="Details">{{cite web |date=February 18, 2002 |title=2002 Olympic Winter Games – Pairs Free Skating – Detailed Classification |url=http://www.icecalc.com/events/owg2002/results/SEG006.HTM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910085723/http://www.icecalc.com/events/owg2002/results/SEG006.HTM |archive-date=September 10, 2019 |access-date=September 10, 2019 |website=|publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref> |- ! scope="col" | Function ! scope="col" | Name ! scope="col" | Nation |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Referee | Ronald Pfenning | 20px|alt=Logo of the International Skating Union ISU |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Assistant referee | Alexander Lakernik | 20px|alt=Logo of the International Skating Union ISU |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 1 | Marina Sanaya | {{RUS}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 2 | Jiasheng Yang | {{CHN}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 3 | Lucy Brennan | {{USA}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 4 | Marie-Reine Le Gougne | {{flag|France|1974}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 5 | Anna Sierocka | {{POL}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 6 | Benoit Lavoie | {{CAN}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 7 | Vladislav Petukhov | {{flag|Ukraine|1992}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 8 | Sissy Krick | {{GER}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Judge No. 9 | Hideo Sugita | {{JPN}} |}

===Breakdown of scores=== The scores from the French judge, Marie-Reine Le Gougne, were officially discarded by the International Skating Union.<ref name=TMH02162002 /> {| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center" |+Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze<ref name="Details" /> ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|RUS}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|CHN}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|USA}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|POL}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|CAN}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|UKR|1992}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|GER}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|JPN}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Technical merit | 5.8 || 5.8 || 5.7 | bgcolor="e5e4e2" | <s>5.8</s> | 5.7 || 5.7 || 5.8 || 5.8 || 5.7 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Presentation | 5.9 || 5.9 || 5.9 | bgcolor="e5e4e2" | <s>5.9</s> | 5.9 || 5.8 || 5.9 || 5.8 || 5.9 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Placement | 1 || 1 || 2 | bgcolor="e5e4e2" | <s>1</s> | 1 || 2 || 1 || 2 || 2 |} {| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center" |+Jamie Salé and David Pelletier<ref name="Details" /> ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|RUS}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|CHN}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|USA}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|POL}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|CAN}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|UKR|1992}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|GER}} ! scope="col" | {{flagicon|JPN}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Technical merit | 5.8 || 5.9 || 5.8 | bgcolor="e5e4e2" | <s>5.8</s> | 5.8|| 5.9 ||5.8 || 5.9 || 5.8 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Presentation |5.8 || 5.8 || 5.9 | bgcolor="e5e4e2" | <s>5.8</s> | 5.8 || 5.9 || 5.8 || 5.9 || 5.9 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Placement | 2 || 2 || 1 | bgcolor="e5e4e2" | <s>2</s> | 2 || 1 || 2 || 1 || 1 |}

== Controversy == Numerous Canadian media outlets were outraged by the result of the competition and began to raise accusations of conspiracy and bias. ''La Presse'' of Quebec featured the headline "Salé and Pelletier victims of a plot", while ''Le Journal de Montréal'' ran with "Some judges plotted before the competition".<ref name="Slate02202025">{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=June |date=February 14, 2002 |title=The triple Axels of evil |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/02/canada-we-wuz-robbed.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250220180008/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/02/canada-we-wuz-robbed.html |archive-date=February 20, 2025 |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=Slate}}</ref> ''The Globe and Mail'' of Toronto quoted "sources" who had stated that the results of the pairs event were predetermined as part of a deal regarding the ice dance competition.<ref name="Slate02202025" /> Cam Cole of the ''National Post'' wrote the following: {{Blockquote |text=And by victimizing a North American pair, on North American soil, while reinforcing the belief that Russian political scheming trumps talent every time, skating has now raised the ire of the one continent where figure skating is big box office. North America fills world skating's bank account. North America imports poor Russian coaches and gives them skating rinks for toys. And in exchange, it gets a frozen boot in the ribs? Not for much longer.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Cam |date=February 13, 2002 |title=This time they picked on the wrong people |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/national-post-this-time-they-picked-on-t/189656686/ |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=National Post |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com |volume=4 |issue=91}}</ref> }} Members of the American media were quick to support Salé and Pelletier. Christine Brennan of ''USA Today'' wrote, "The problem for those who run figure skating is that this was an event witnessed by millions of Americans on television. This didn't happen far away. It happened in Salt Lake City to a North American pair that has received more than its share of publicity on NBC."<ref>{{cite news |date=February 13, 2002 |title=No defense for bad judgment |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/comment/brennan/2002-02-12-brennan-pairs.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125020558/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/comment/brennan/2002-02-12-brennan-pairs.htm |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |access-date=January 25, 2021 |work=USA Today|last=Brennan|first=Christine|author-link=Christine Brennan}}</ref> Sandra Bezic and Scott Hamilton, the retired skaters who provided the on-air commentary during the NBC broadcast of the Olympic figure skating competitions, were deeply critical of the judging of the pairs event. Robert J. Thompson, professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University, explained that viewers rely on the commentators of figure skating events to explain whether what they see is good or not.<ref name="NYT02192002">{{cite news |last=Sandomir |first=Richard |date=February 19, 2002 |title=As the story unfolds, NBC has the biggest part |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/19/sports/sports-media-as-the-story-unfolds-nbc-has-the-biggest-part.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517051625/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/19/sports/sports-media-as-the-story-unfolds-nbc-has-the-biggest-part.html |archive-date=May 17, 2017 |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=The New York Times|page=D4}}</ref> NBC featured Salé and Pelletier in several primetime segments, including one with Bob Costas, NBC's primary host for their Olympic coverage.<ref name="NYT02192002" /> They also made appearances on ''The Today Show'', ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', and ''Entertainment Tonight''.<ref name="ESPN04182008" /> Anton Sikharulidze spoke about prior competitions where he and Elena Berezhnaya had finished second to Salé and Pelletier, and said that they had never complained about their results or protested their silver medals. Sikharulidze also described the difficult situation they were in, facing hostile reporters with no one backing them up.<ref name="LAT02162002">{{Cite web |last=Dixon |first=Robyn |author-link=Robyn Dixon (journalist) |date=February 16, 2002 |title=It's an outrage to Russians |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-feb-16-sp-olyrussia16-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904054016/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-feb-16-sp-olyrussia16-story.html |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |access-date=February 10, 2002 |website=Los Angeles Times |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In response to the outcry, Ottavio Cinquanta, president of the International Skating Union (ISU), announced in a press conference the day after the competition that the ISU would conduct an "internal assessment" into the judging of the pairs event. Cinquanta acknowledged that Ronald Pfenning, the event referee, had filed an official complaint about the judging, but did not offer further details. François Carrard, director general of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), publicly urged the ISU to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, and warned that if the ISU failed to act, the IOC might take action instead.<ref name="TDH02132002">{{cite news |last=Wilner |first=Barry |date=February 13, 2002 |title=French official: Judge pressured |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-french-official-judge/189661280/ |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=The Daily Herald |page=5 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Pfenning alleged that in a closed-door meeting with the event judges, French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne admitted to having been pressured by the French Federation of Ice Sports, and federation president Didier Gailhaguet, to award the gold medals to the Russian team. "You don't understand! You don't understand!" Pfenning quoted Le Gougne as having said, according to ''The Washington Post''. "The pressure is enormous! There is so much pressure that my federation, that the president, Didier, put on me to put the Russians first!"<ref name="NYT02132002">{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Selena |date=February 15, 2002 |title=Both sides pressured judge, French skating official says |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/sports/olympics-figure-skating-both-sides-pressured-judge-french-skating-official-says.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516235349/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/sports/olympics-figure-skating-both-sides-pressured-judge-french-skating-official-says.html |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|page=A1|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="MSNBC02152002">{{cite web |date=February 15, 2002 |title=IOC awards gold to Canadian pair |url=https://www.msnbc.com/news/705743.asp?cp1=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020601103902/https://www.msnbc.com/news/705743.asp?cp1=1 |archive-date=June 1, 2002 |access-date=June 1, 2002|website=MSNBC}}</ref> An arrangement had allegedly been struck whereby Le Gougne was to award the gold medals to the Russian pairs team, while the Russian ice dance judge was to award the gold medals to the French ice dance team.<ref name=Guardian05012002 /> Gailhaguet denied these allegations.<ref name="NYT02132002" /><ref name="MSNBC02152002" />

On February 15, IOC President Jacques Rogge announced in a press conference that Salé and Pelletier would be awarded gold medals, while Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze would still keep theirs, since there was no evidence of wrongdoing on their part. Le Gougne was also suspended for failing to immediately report the intimidation she alleged to have received prior to the competition.<ref name=TMH02162002>{{cite news |last=Robertson |first=Linda |date=February 16, 2002 |title=Extra championship medal granted to settle controversy in pairs event |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-extra-championships-med/189662517/ |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=The Miami Herald |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-extra-championships-med/189662517/ 1A], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-second-gold-medal-grant/189662563/ 14A] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The medal award ceremony was repeated on February 17. Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze attended, wearing the gold medals they had already received, but bronze medalists Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China opted to not attend. Salé and Pelletier received their gold medals, and also presented Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze with gifts – a pair of hand-blown glass hearts – along with a handwritten note. Craig Fenech, agent to Salé and Pelletier, clarified that his clients' grievance was never about Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze.<ref name=TTH02182002>{{cite news |date=February 18, 2002 |title=Canadian skaters finally get their gold |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-herald-canadian-skaters-finall/189662967/ |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=The Times Herald |page=6C |via=Newspapers.com |agency=Gannett News Service}}</ref>

== Results == {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |+Pairs' results<ref>{{cite web |date=February 18, 2002 |title=2002 Olympic Winter Games – Pairs |url=http://www.icecalc.com/events/owg2002/results/CAT003RS.HTM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907063108/http://www.icecalc.com/events/owg2002/results/CAT003RS.HTM |archive-date=September 7, 2020 |access-date=September 7, 2020 |publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref> ! scope="col" | Rank ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Team ! scope="col" | Nation ! scope="col" | Points ! scope="col" | SP ! scope="col" | FS |-bgcolor="gold" ! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="2" | {{gold1}} | align="left" | {{FS skater||Elena Berezhnaya|Anton Sikharulidze}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|RUS|2002 Winter}} | rowspan="2" {{NA}} | 1 | rowspan="2" {{NA}} |- bgcolor="gold" | align="left" | {{FS skater||Jamie Salé|David Pelletier}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|CAN|2002 Winter}} | 2 |- bgcolor="#cc9966" ! scope="row" | {{bronze3}} | align="left" | {{FS skater||Shen Xue|Zhao Hongbo}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|CHN|2002 Winter}} |4.5||3||3 |- ! scope="row" | 4 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Tatiana Totmianina|Maxim Marinin}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|RUS|2002 Winter}} ||6.0||4||4 |- ! scope="row" | 5 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Kyoko Ina|link2=John Zimmerman (figure skater)|John Zimmerman}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|USA|2002 Winter}} ||7.5||5||5 |- ! scope="row" | 6 | align="left" | {{FS skater||link=Maria Petrova (figure skater)|Maria Petrova|Alexei Tikhonov}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|RUS|2002 Winter}} ||9.0||6||6 |- ! scope="row" | 7 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Dorota Zagórska|Mariusz Siudek}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|POL|2002 Winter}} ||11.0||8||7 |- ! scope="row" | 8 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Kateřina Beránková|Otto Dlabola}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|CZE|2002 Winter}} ||11.5||7||8 |- ! scope="row" | 9 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Pang Qing|Tong Jian}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|CHN|2002 Winter}} |14.0||10||9 |- ! scope="row" | 10 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Jacinthe Larivière|Lenny Faustino}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|CAN|2002 Winter}} |16.5||13||10 |- ! scope="row" | 11 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Zhang Dan|link2=Zhang Hao (figure skater)|Zhang Hao}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|CHN|2002 Winter}} ||16.5||9||12 |- ! scope="row" | 12 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Anabelle Langlois|Patrice Archetto}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|CAN|2002 Winter}} ||18.0||14||11 |- ! scope="row" | 13 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Tiffany Scott|Philip Dulebohn}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|USA|2002 Winter}} ||18.5||11||13 |- ! scope="row" | 14 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Mariana Kautz|Norman Jeschke}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|GER|2002 Winter}} ||21.0||12||15 |- ! scope="row" | 15 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Aliona Savchenko|Stanislav Morozov}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|UKR|2002 Winter}} ||22.0||16||14 |- ! scope="row" | 16 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Tatiana Chuvaeva|Dmitri Palamarchuk}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|UKR|2002 Winter}} ||23.5||15||16 |- ! scope="row" | 17 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Oľga Beständigová|Jozef Beständig}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|SVK|2002 Winter}} ||25.5||17||17 |- ! scope="row" | 18 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Natalia Ponomareva|link2=Evgeni Sviridov (figure skater)|Evgeni Sviridov}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|UZB|2002 Winter}} ||27.0||18||18 |- ! scope="row" | 19 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Michela Cobisi|Ruben De Pra}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|ITA|2002 Winter}} ||28.5||19||19 |- ! scope="row" | 20 | align="left" | {{FS skater||Maria Krasiltseva|Artem Znachkov}} | align="left" | {{flagIOC|ARM|2002 Winter}} ||30.0||20||20 |}

== Aftermath == On April 30, 2002, the International Skating Union (ISU) announced that Marie-Reine Le Gougne and Didier Gailhaguet had both been suspended for three years for their roles in the scandal and also prohibited from any official involvement with the 2006 Winter Olympics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Communication No. 1181 |url=http://www.isu.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-137120-154336-25640-0-file,00.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325050602/http://www.isu.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-137120-154336-25640-0-file,00.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |access-date=November 4, 2007|publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref><ref name="Guardian05012002">{{cite news |last=Mackay |first=Duncan |date=May 1, 2002 |title=French officials banned over gold scandal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/may/01/olympicgames.winterolympics2002 |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=The Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140216011053/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/may/01/olympicgames.winterolympics2002|archive-date=February 16, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> On July 31, 2002, Italian authorities arrested Russian organized crime boss Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov on U.S. charges that he masterminded the scheme at the Olympics. Tokhtakhounov, whose phone calls had been wiretapped by the Italian Guardia di Finanza over suspicions of money laundering, had been overheard conspiring to fix the outcomes of two Olympic skating competitions: Le Gougne would vote for the Russian team in the pairs event, while the Russian judge would vote for the French team in the ice dance event. The Italians had turned this evidence over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States. "He arranged a classic ''quid pro quo''," then-U.S. Attorney James Comey said at the time of Tokhtakhounov's arrest. "'You'll line up support for the Russian pair, we'll line up support for the French pair, and everybody'll go away with the gold. And perhaps there'll be a little gold for me, the Russian organized crime figure.'"<ref name=ESPN04182008>{{cite web |last1=Barr |first1=John |last2=Weinbaum |first2=William |date=April 18, 2008 |title=Wanted man: 'Little Taiwanese' and his big role in an Olympics scandal |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=3352977&type=story |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105035137/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3352977&type=story |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |access-date=July 9, 2010 |work=ESPN}}</ref> Tokhtakhounov had been friends with Marina Anissina, the French ice dancer, and her mother, Irina Cherniaeva. According to transcripts, Tokhtakhounov had assured Chernayeva that Anissina's gold medal in the ice dance event was guaranteed, "even if she [fell]."<ref name="ESPN04182008" /> After ten months contesting extradition, Tokhtakhounov was ultimately released from Italian custody; he then returned to Moscow, where he did not face extradition to the United States.<ref name="ESPN04182008" /> Ultimately, Anissina and her partner Gwendal Peizerat required no assistance to win the ice dance event; they won overwhelmingly, even though they were placed second by the Russian judge.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 21, 2002 |title=2002 Olympic Winter Games – Ice Dancing |url=http://www.icecalc.com/events/owg2002/results/CAT004RS.HTM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716223858/http://www.icecalc.com/events/owg2002/results/CAT004RS.HTM |archive-date=July 16, 2018 |access-date=July 16, 2018 |publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref>

In 2004, the ISU voted to retire the 6.0 judging system on grounds that it was too subjective. As a result, the ISU Judging System (IJS) was created, where each skater or team is scored based on the technical grade of execution of the elements and given a mathematical score.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the ISU New Judging System |url=https://www.isu.org/docman-documents-links/isu-files/documents-communications/figure-skating/isu-judging-system/275-new-judging-system-faq/file |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816144413/https://www.isu.org/docman-documents-links/isu-files/documents-communications/figure-skating/isu-judging-system/275-new-judging-system-faq/file |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |access-date=August 16, 2021|date=September 8, 2003|publisher=International Skating Union}}</ref> The ISU also adopted a policy of secret judging, where judges' marks were posted anonymously. While the ISU stated that this secrecy freed judges from pressure from their federations, critics responded that instead of preventing judges from cheating, the secrecy prevented the public and media from being able to identify cheating. Following the 2014 Winter Olympics, the ISU Congress changed this policy, ending anonymous judging to "increase transparency" in the process.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Butler |first1=Nick |date=June 8, 2016 |title=ISU vote to abolish anonymous judging system in figure skating to "increase transparency" |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1038244/isu-vote-to-abolish-anonymous-judging-system-in-figure-skating-to-increase-transparency |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511175447/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1038244/isu-vote-to-abolish-anonymous-judging-system-in-figure-skating-to-increase-transparency |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |access-date=May 11, 2021 |website=Inside the Games}}</ref>

Joy Goodwin, a former producer for ABC Sports, published a novel in 2004, ''The Second Mark: Courage, Corruption, and the Battle for Olympic Gold''',''''' which chronicles how the three medal-winning teams – Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier of Canada, and Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China – made it to the 2002 Winter Olympics, and then goes into the scandal in detail. While reviewing the novel for ''The New York Times'', Christopher Caldwell described it as "masterly" and wrote that it sits "among the rare sportswriting that, with one eye fixed on court or field or rink, manages to tell us something important about the human spirit".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Caldwell |first=Christopher |date=June 13, 2004 |title=Ice Ice Baby |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/13/books/ice-ice-baby.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 29, 2026 |work=The New York Times |language=}}</ref> Writing for the ''Toronto Star'', Rosie DiManno opined that even readers uninterested in the politics of figure skating would enjoy the "equally riveting narrative" of the three teams' personal histories.<ref>{{Cite news |last=DiManno |first=Rosie |date=March 16, 2004 |title=Digging into the Salt Lake Skategate disgrace |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-digging-into-the-salt-l/194438697/ |access-date=March 29, 2026 |work=Toronto Star |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-digging-into-the-salt-l/194438697/ E1], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-a-deep-look-into-judgin/194438632/ E10] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In 2022, Tara Lipinski, Olympic gold medalist and figure skating commentator for NBC Sports, and her husband, Todd Kapostasy, produced a four-part documentary – ''Meddling: The Olympic Skating Scandal That Shocked the World'' – which aired on Peacock. Lipinski called the series "a deep and responsible look at what happened",<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilner |first=Barry |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Tara Lipinski and husband examine 2002 skating scandal |url=https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-sports-entertainment-tara-lipinski-figure-skating-9aaa3ab535c8b90e46c0ba48be9487e2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216104051/https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-sports-entertainment-tara-lipinski-figure-skating-9aaa3ab535c8b90e46c0ba48be9487e2 |archive-date=February 16, 2022 |access-date=March 26, 2026 |work=AP News}}</ref> and said that she and Kapostasy had chosen to do the series because it was the 20th anniversary of the scandal.<ref>{{cite web |last=Martinelli |first=Michelle R. |date=January 14, 2022 |title=Q&A: Tara Lipinski on Olympics docuseries about the 2002 figure skating scandal that changed the sport |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/olympics-tara-lipinski-figure-skating-2002-judging-scandal-meddling |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823185130/https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/olympics-tara-lipinski-figure-skating-2002-judging-scandal-meddling |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |access-date=March 26, 2026 |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref> Among those interviewed were Marie-Reine Le Gougne, in her first interview with American media in two decades.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tron |first=Gina |date=January 28, 2022 |title=Two decades later, Tara Lipinski says 'Meddling' skating scandal should 'not be forgotten' |url=https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/tara-lipinski-on-meddled-and-olympic-figure-skating-judging-scandal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823185130/https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/tara-lipinski-on-meddled-and-olympic-figure-skating-judging-scandal |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |access-date=March 26, 2026 |work=Oxygen}}</ref> Julia Herman of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum gave the docuseries a positive review, writing: "It has everything viewers could want: love, scandal, tragedy, controversy, spy shops, FBI investigations, and even the Russian mafia."<ref>{{cite web |last=Herman |first=Julia |date=December 2023 |title=Staff media pick: Meddling: The Olympic Skating Scandal That Shocked the World |url=https://lakeplacidolympicmuseum.org/2024/01/01/staff-media-pick-meddling-the-olympic-skating-scandal-that-shocked-the-world/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 29, 2026 |work=Lake Placid Olympic Museum}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist|30em}}

== Works cited == * {{cite book |last=Goodwin |first=Joy |title=The Second Mark: Courage, Corruption, and the Battle for Olympic Gold |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0743245272 |publication-date=February 24, 2004}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20190909202609/http://www.icecalc.com/events/owg2002/results/index.htm 2002 Winter Olympics – Official results] *[https://digital.la84.org/digital/api/collection/p17103coll8/id/54445/download Official Results Book – Figure skating]

{{Events at the 2002 Winter Olympics}} {{Figure skating at the Olympic Games}} {{2001–02 in figure skating}}

Pair