Is Figure Skating Fixed? →
Interesting take on the flaws of the current judging system. Look, let’s get something straight about the sport: it will never be unbiased or free of error. This is because of what figure skating is — the intersection of creatively-oriented movement and athleticism. However, what can be done is to make sure judging is as fair as possible, which it is not.
“To be a skating judge, you need a sense of nationalism”
This is Problem #1: Figure skating judges are certified through their respective nation’s skating organizations. Judges are intrinsically in debt to their nations; to be unbiased would also mean to be free of nationalistic ties. A judge could potentially have their privileges revoked.
Even on a local level, skating judges are essentially embedded within clubs. For example, Lucy Brennan, who was one of the judges during the Salt Lake scandal, is the chair of the testing committee at the Skating Club of New York. (Fun fact: Sarah Hughes, Ladies Gold medalist at the SLC games, is a member of the same club.) In any other discipline, this kind of conflict of interest would be regarded as highly unethical, but it is standard operating procedure in the sport of figure skating.
If judges were certified through an independent organization, whether it’s a national or international one, it would attempt to provide some semblance of detachment from the national skating organizations.
