Well, it wouldn’t be an Olympics without a figure skating judging controversy or three.
The first cross check on Canada should have been called. That cross check went beyond “letting them play” in the overtime. The make-up call was terrible. The “cross check” on the breakaway should have been a penalty shot. The fact that it was a trip and not a cross check just underscores the incompetence of the officiating.
Given the wide swath of officiating incompetence that was cut both ways through this game, the most likely conclusion is just that. Incompetence. It’s the blatantly dishonest call in the prelim game that just makes me consider that possibility for today’s game too.
Should we call a whaambulance?
Kim got 0.5 more points than Sotnikova in the “program components” score (which is pretty much five numbers from 0 to 10 - well, 0 to 16, since they’re multiplied by 1.6 in the ladies’ free skate - that the judges pull out of a hat). I think the main reason Sotnikova won was, her elements were worth more points.
The judges’ specific scores for all of the skaters are here. Note, however, that the judge in any particular column in Sotnikova’s scores is not necessarily the same judge in that column in Kim’s (or anybody else’s) scores. They used to do it that way, until 2010, at which point somebody must have realized that they didn’t want to make it public that “one judge gave this set of scores to Skater X and that set of scores to Skater Y”.
(* indicates it got a bonus because it was in the second half of the routine)
Both routines had:
Triple Lutz/Triple Toe Loop
Triple Flip
Level 1 Choreograph Sequence
Level 4 Spin Combo w/change of position and switching feet
Triple Salchow*
Double Axel*
Sotnikova also had:
5.1 Triple Loop
8.14 Double Axel/Triple Toe Loop*
9.24 Triple Flip/Double Toe Loop/Double Loop*
3.2 Level 4 Flying Camel Spin
2.7 Level 4 Layback Spin
3.9 Level 4 Step Sequence
Total - 32.28
Kim also had:
5.5 Triple Salchow/Double Toe Loop
6.6 Triple Lutz*
7.04 Double Axel/Double Toe Loop/Double Loop*
3.5 Level 4 Flying Spin Combo w/change of position and switching feet
2.4 Level 3 Layback Spin
3.3 Level 3 Step Sequence
Total - 28.34
“What’s the difference between a Level 3 Layback Spin and a Level 4?”
A Level 3 is supposed to have exactly three of these things, while a Level 4 has 4 or more:
- Difficult variations (count as many times as performed with limitations specified below)
- Change of foot executed by jump
- Jump within a spin without changing feet
- Difficult variation of flying entrance/Landing on the same foot as take-off or changing foot on landing in a Flying Sit Spin
- Backward entrance
- Clear change of edge in sit (only from backward inside to forward outside), camel, Layback and Biellmann position
- All 3 basic positions on both feet
- Both directions immediately following each other in sit or camel spin
- Clear increase of speed in camel, sit, layback or Biellmann position
- At least 8 rev. without changes in position/variation, foot or edge (camel, layback, difficult variation of any basic position or for combinations only non-basic position)
- One clear change of position backwards-sideways or reverse, at least 3 rev. in each position (counts also if the Layback spin is a part of any other spin)
- Biellmann position after Layback spin
(Oops - missed the edit window)
“Who decides whether a Layback Spin is Level 3 or Level 4?”
The Technical Specialist - in this case, 1997 World Championships bronze medalist Vanessa Gusmeroli
Yeah, probably.
I don’t think anyone is calling the refs biased, just incompetent.
Negatively - Kim took silver and Koreans are convinced she deserved the gold.
Ass For A Hat specifically raised it as a possibility.
Incompetent, shit, do we even need to bother saying it? The ref was exactly as good as I would expect a British hockey referee to be.
Well the office pretty much stopped for the end of that Sweden-Finland match.
Jeez, Canada is curling so well (and GB so poorly) that this game is dead boring.
I’d quote** That Dom Guy** but it’s a long post to quote. It gets the point across quite nicely, though.
To sum up: NBC specifically went over the numbers where if all the skaters skated perfectly, Yuna Kim’s technical score based on program elements was about a whole 5 points lower than anyone else’s. Yuna Kim skated almost perfectly, Adelina Sotnikova skated almost perfectly. I’m not surprised that therefore, Sotnikova then won.
The judging system places a lot of emphasis on technical prowess. Yuna Kim’s program was artistically phenomenal, but under the judging system Adelina Sotnikova’s program was worth more points.
I’m happy either way. I don’t see any controversy here other than people’s emotions getting the better of them in who “deserved” gold and silver.
Did Canada get all the good Scots, then?
Anyone else find it amusing that Adelina was deemed not good enough to take a leg in the team competition, and wound up with gold in the singles event instead?
USA split the long and short programs between our two top ladies skaters (Wagner and Gold) so they both leave Sochi with a bronze, at least. But Russia’s committee deliberately excluded Adelina from the team event, even though judging by rankings and ability, they must have realized they were taking a medal from around her neck. (Why be assholes?)
Even Italy, where there’s a much larger difference between their #1 ladies skater (Carolina Kostner) and their #2 girl, they still let the #2 girl have the long program.
I hope it’s not too late to ask general questions:
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I noticed that in skiing and snowboarding disciplines, sometimes they use the best of 2 runs and sometimes they use the total of both runs. Does this vary from Olympics to Olympics, or is it always the same?
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Why are there no snowboard time trials such as with the ski racing events, eg. downhill, Super G, etc.? Is it deemed too dangerous?
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What is success based on for luge, bobsled and skeleton, i.e. how much is speed dependent on technology, the start, steering or other factors?
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In figure skating, didn’t men in years past attempt quadruple axels? I didn’t watch the whole event, but I didn’t see anyone try one this time.
Working from home today. I had my nose in a notebook, and didn’t see the TV. Don Cherry was commenting on a hockey clip, and at first I thought it was that Snickers commercial with Robin Williams doing characters. 
Any updates on the US-Canada semi? I think to make it interesting, the loser has to keep Justin Bieber.
Well, the USA didn’t swap out the Davis/White team for one of the lesser ice dancer pairs in the team event either. This isn’t a strictly “Russian” thing to do.
1-0 Canada after the 2nd.