| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Russians, Koreans back off a bit
By Sara Giles and Jenifer K. Nii
Deseret News staff writers
Despite threats from the Russian and Korean delegations to boycott Sunday's closing ceremonies, both are now expected to participate, the International Olympic Committee announced Friday.
Francois Carrard, director general of the International Olympic Committee, said he is "very confident" both delegations will join in the closing ceremonies.
Still pending, however, is a protest Russian Olympic officials filed with the referee of Thursday night's ladies figure skating competition in which they asserted Russian skater Irina Slutskaya was undermarked, in violation of International Skating Union regulations, and therefore should receive a gold medal.
American Sarah Hughes won the competition in a 5-4 vote over Slutskaya, who took silver.
Aline Bussat, ISU spokeswoman, confirmed the ISU received the Russians' protest and that it was being reviewed by event referee Britta Lindgren. "The protest was filed last night after the competition," Bussat said Friday. "Right now, we have not issued a response."
Bussat said Lindgren is likely to rule on the merits of the protest at some point over the weekend. According to ISU rules, decisions made by event referees are not subject to appeal, except under very limited circumstances such as questions regarding the eligibility of a competitor or the determination of results.
Angry officials from the Russian delegation said Thursday that athletes from Russia, Ukraine, Korea and China have been singled out and "humiliated" at the Salt Lake Games.
Specifically the Russians complained about the disqualification of their cross country women's relay team Friday after a team member failed a blood test, the second gold medal awarded to Canada after the Russian pairs gold medalists were caught up in a judging scandal and penalties called against the men's hockey team in its 1-0 win Wednesday against the Czech Republic.
Thursday night, a Russian official expressed no dissatisfaction with the way Friday's men's ice hockey game between the United States and Russia was officiated.
Valentin Mativienko, Russia's deputy prime minister in charge of social affairs, said she was upset Russia lost. However, she added, "the American team played better."
Korea's beef was the speedskating event where their athlete was stripped of a gold medal by a referee who ruled he cheated by blocking American Apolo Ohno's path.
But both the Russian and Korean delegations appear to have calmed by Friday night as Carrard said that while emotions run high, "we must not forget that these are Olympic Games."
IOC President Jacques Rogge did his part Friday to appease the Russians. He visited the Russian delegation's hosting center and gave them a commitment to undertake an in-depth, post-Games investigation into its allegations of biased judging. "What Russia has contributed to the Olympic movement is major," Rogge said.
- In an unrelated matter, Carrard said Friday that the Belarus athlete who had tested positive for the anabolic agent nandrolone has been given a warning by the IOC while two other people — her doctor and her mother who is also her coach — have been suspended from the Games.
Short-track speedskater Yulia Pavlovich was let off with a warning because Carrard said her "conduct appeared to dominated by another (her coach and doctor).
"The responsibility of the coach was much more serious in this case," Carrard said. The athlete will still be able to go to Sunday's closing ceremonies and stay in the Olympic Village.
E-MAIL: sgiles@desnews.com ; jnii@desnews.com
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February 23, 2002
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