Timeline of figure skating controversies from 1902 to 2022

1988: Vinay and “Katrina Niyam”

Witt defended his choice, saying that the costume was appropriate for his musical, which was from the Broadway show “Jerry’s Girls”.

This controversy led to the ISU adopting a new dress code: all women were to wear skirts that covered their hips and bottom, as well as their midriff.

This strict rule was relaxed in 2003, but the ISU still requires all clothing to be “modest, dignified, and appropriate for athletic competition”.

1994: Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding

Gillooly was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the attack and Harding received three years’ probation and fined $100,000 for conspiracy to obstruct prosecution.

Kerrigan was selected for the Olympic team despite his injury and earned a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.

Harding maintained his innocence throughout the game, but on March 16, just weeks after the closing ceremonies, he pleaded guilty to obstructing the prosecution.

A few months later the US Figure Skating Association revoked her gold medal at the 1994 national championships and banned her from the ice for life.

The scandal was then immortalized in the 2017 drama “I, Tonya” starring Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney.

Asked by The Boston Globe if she was upset by Harding’s portrayal of Hollywood, Kerrigan said, “It’s not really a part of my life.”

“As you say, I was the victim,” she said. “Like, I have a role in this whole thing. That’s it.”

1998: Surya Bonali backflip and judge flipped out

The day before Surya Bonali was set to do her free skate at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, she pulled a muscle in her right leg, although knowing that these Winter Games were her last, the French star remained committed to competing. .

But Bonali “had a special thing in his back pocket” to entice the crowd, landing an illegal backflip on his left blade.

This did not go down well with the judges, who gave Bonali a point that dropped him from sixth to 11th.

In recent years, fans have questioned whether race may have played a part in his career, although both Bonali and the former judge deny any bias.

“We’re all human, we all have different styles. And we can create a different personality of the character on the ice,” Bonelli told CNN’s Amy Woodyatt on Friday.

“You’ve got to find your own style, and you’ve got to save it to give it… When you see 20 skaters doing the same thing over and over, I mean, what about it?

“Skating is called free skating, so it’s considered free, but it’s not really free, completely free because there are rules to follow and if you don’t, you’re in big trouble.

Bonali told CNN that sometimes her routine was punished by the judges.

“I remember the days when I used to like jumps and combos, and if I would jump an extra one after combo because I felt like ‘Oh, triple, triple and a double. You really got into trouble because you did too much,” she said.

“I think judges should be more open-minded, able to receive and see things that come from different places – a different way of what’s brought on the ice.”

1998: Judging scandal exposed

Cenft had earlier approached officials with their concerns about corruption among its allies, but was told they needed proof.

After playing the tapes at the ISU hearings, Balkov was banned for a year. Soon after, Cenft also faced a six-month suspension for allegedly favoring a Canadian pair, although they claim the suspension was retaliation against them.

“Athletes are not competing on a fair playing field. This is not sport. Somebody had to find evidence,” Cenft told CBC News in 2000.

After the scandal, small improvements were made in view of the requirements and deductions.

2002: “Skategate”

When the judges met to defend the results, French judge Marie-Rein Le Gaugne claimed that French Skating Federation President Didier Gelhaguet had instructed them to rank the Russian pair first.

Evidence of a quid pro quo soon emerged between Russian and French votes in the figure skating and ice dancing events.

Le Gougne and Gelhaguet were suspended for three years and an overhaul of the justice system in figure skating underwent an overhaul, with strict protocols eliminating room for subjective judgement.

“Meddling,” a four-part series of scandal over Peacock, was released last month.

2010: Russian duo’s performance sparks cultural backlash

The pair skated to the music, which was largely chanting and didgeridoos, while wearing red loincloths, body suits with white markings, and brown facial makeup.

Their performance sparked outrage among Aboriginal activists in Australia, who claimed the routine was culturally exploitative and dehumanizing.
Jeff Billings, a noted designer of skating costumes, told The New York Times in 2010, “Exact or not, you have to be sensitive to the people you’re representing.”

“At the turn of the last century, minstrel shows were acceptable. Times have changed.”

The Russian pair’s coach, Natalia Linichuk, was shocked at the outrage, denying any wrongdoing or wrongful intentions, and claiming that the dance was not based on any one tribal culture.

Bev Manton, chair of the New South Wales Aboriginal Lands Council, expressed her anger in the Sydney Morning Herald: “From an Aboriginal standpoint, this demonstration is offensive. It was clearly not meant to mock Aboriginal culture, but it did not make it acceptable.” Makes it for the tribal people.”

2014: US Skating Federation’s team selection question mark

Mirai Nagasu won the bronze medal at the 2014 US National Championships, but was passed over for the Sochi Olympic team in favor of fourth-place finisher Ashley Wagner.

The US Skating Federation had until then only ignored the results of the national championships four times, in all cases due to injuries that prevented selected athletes from competing.

The federation defended its choice, citing Wagner’s high global ranking and Nagasu’s inconsistent record over the past year.

However, Jeff Yang of the Wall Street Journal found it difficult to ignore the aesthetics of choice, calling Wagner a “gold girl” with her blonde hair and blue eyes.

There was truth to his claims to some fans, especially when looking at the previous treatment of Asian American skaters; Including a media headline that claimed, “American Beats Out Quan.” Kwan is the American team’s Michelle Kwan, born in Torrance, California.

Nagasu also landed the triple axel – one of the most challenging jumps in figure skating. In doing so she achieved a feat that made her the first female American figure skater to hit the triple axel nail at the Olympics.

At the end of his routine, Nagasu triumphantly threw his hands into the air and a bright, exuberant smile spread across his face.

2022: Kamila Valieva tests positive for drugs

In a sample taken in December ahead of the Olympics, 15-year-old Valiva tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine, a drug commonly used to treat angina and which experts say can increase blood pressure in the heart. By increasing the flow can increase endurance.

However, the results were analyzed only in February to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). Valieva was suspended a day after she won the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) gold medal in the figure skating team event on 7 February, when she became the first woman to make a quadruple jump at the Winter Olympic Games.

After a hearing the next day, Rusada lifted his suspension. Following this, the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee and the ISU filed appeals against the lifting of the ban.

However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport granted Veliva to the competition, saying she would suffer “irreparable harm” if she was not allowed to compete, citing “extraordinary circumstances” of being a minor.

Before being cleared to participate in the women’s individual figure skating competition, Veliva was suspended by RUSA on 8 February, although the body lifted her suspension after a hearing the next day.