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Int'l Skating Union OKs scoring system
A new scoring system for figure skating has been approved after the Olympic pairs scandal forced the sport's governing body to make radical changes. The International Skating Union's new system replaces the famed 6.0 score and is based on points for jumps, spins, footwork and artistic elements. The format was tested last season in the Grand Prix series and will be used at all international competitions and the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. ISU head Ottavio Cinquanta has been urging change since his sport was disgraced at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. The International Olympic Committee pressured the ISU into awarding a second pairs gold medal and made clear it wanted a new judging system. At the 2002 Olympics, French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne claimed she was pressured by her federation's chief, Didier Gailhaguet, to favor Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze in the pairs event over Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. The Russians won by a 5-4 margin among the judges, but Le Gougne's admission, which she later recanted, led to the IOC awarding gold medals to the Canadians, too. How the new judging system works OVERALL SCORING Ten judges sit on a panel, with only seven having their marks count in a random selection. Then the high and low marks for each skater would be discarded, and the other five would formulate a skater's scores. A total score is based on the addition of points of two segments: 1. Technical score comprised of points gained on jumps, spins and stepwork. 2. Program component score comprised of points gained by skating skills, transition, performance and execution, choreography and interpretation. TECHNICAL The technical score adds the number of different elements, but there is a limit to how many can be done. For singles, there can be eight jump elements for men (seven for women), four spins and two step sequences. Up to three of the jump elements can be combinations. Each element has a base point value based on level of difficulty. A grade of execution ¡ª how well the element is performed ¡ª will be added or subtracted from the base value. A technical specialist identifies the elements and each judge gives one of the grades of execution. For example, a triple axel jump is worth a base value of 7.5 points with an execution scale of + 3 down to -3 depending on whether the jump is performed excellent or poorly. A sit spin, level 3 difficulty, is worth 2.4 points with an execution scale ranging from + 1.5 to -1. PROGRAM COMPONENT SCORES The five program component scores range from 0.25 to 10.0 and range from very poor to outstanding. It evaluates overall skating quality, difficulty and quality of steps linking the elements, style and originality. There will be bonus points given for jumps in the second half of the program as well as innovative moves. Judges would be allowed to review elements with a video replay system. |
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