However, with the new good there is also new flaws. Critics are saying that judges are now using the presentation score to fix a result. If a judge wants to give a skater a higher or lower score they will just change their presentation score. The other issue is judges now give their scores anonymously. The ISU said the point of this was to stop the pressuring of judges, but in reality it has just made it easier for judges to hide fixed results.
Since the new judging system there have been many accused scandals, but none of them looked into. The most recent was at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi in the Ladies freeskate event where Russian Adelina Sotnikova won gold over the reigning Olympic champion Yu-na Kim of South Korea. Yu-na Kim skated a flawless program, whereas Adelina had technical mistakes and her skating was sloppy. Adelina beat Yu-na by 6 points even though her short program was by far inferior to Yu-na’s. Many people are suspicious of judging because two of the judges were Russian, but it’s virtually impossible to know due to the new anonymous system.
So, how can we get rid of favouritism? Simple, we can’t. There will always be favouritism in sport, especially when there is judging involved. There are ways however to lessen the effect it is having on the world of figure skating. First off, try and pick judges from a variety of country’s. This will stop one country from dominating because they own the panel. Secondly, instead of presentation score being so open to judges choice, give more of a guideline of how presentation should be marked. Finally, make judges accountable for their scores. If a judge is being completely honest about their score they shouldn’t have to hide it. Take away the anonymous judging. This will never fix the problem, but it could bring credit back to the sport that is falling to favouritism.
Citations
Brennan, Christine. "Skating Insiders Question Sochi Gold Judging." . USA Today, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 18 May 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2014/02/20/winter-olympics-games-sochi-figure-skating-women-yuna-kim-gracie-gold/5643143/>.
Friedlander, Monica. "Save Skating." . N.p., 3 May 2013. Web. 18 May 2014. <http://savefigureskating.blogspot.ca/>.
Hoyt, Alia. "How Competitive Figure Skating Works." . How Stuff Works, 11 Aug. 2008. Web. 18 May 2014. <http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/competitive-figure-skating4.htm>.
Samuels, Robert. "Did Adelina Sotnikova beat Kim Yu-na because of "Russianflation"?." . The Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 18 May 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/olympics/wp/2014/02/21/womens-figure-skating-recap-did-adelina-sotnikova-beat-kim-yu-na-because-of-russiaflation/>.
Smith, Beverly. "Figure Skating Judging System Still has Flaws." . The Globe and Mail, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 17 May 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/figure-skating-judging-system-still-has-flaws/article545551/>.