'The dog can turn into a wolf'

French official comes out fighting before skating hearing

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- On the eve of a special hearing on the Olympic figure skating scandal, the French federation chief at the heart of the case came out fighting Sunday, claiming he was the victim of a plot and threatening to go to higher courts if he's not cleared.

The International Skating Union hopes to use the two-day hearing starting Monday to finally bury the judging controversy which gave a Canadian couple a unique duplicate pairs gold at the Salt Lake City Games, but Sunday's threat to appeal suggests the case will drag on.

"We will go the end to defend our rights and the reputation of our federation," French skating chief Didier Gailhaguet said in an interview with The Associated Press. He did not rule out the possibility of appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.

French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne, who has been suspended for alleged misconduct after momentarily admitting she had been pressured by Gailhaguet to throw her vote to the victorious Russian pair, is taking a similar approach.

Le Gougne argued she quickly recanted her admission made during emotional distress and voted for the Russians in good conscience. She claims she is a "scapegoat" and is threatening to take the case to sports' supreme tribunal, the Court for Arbitration of Sport.

Gailhaguet, who is also an ISU Council member, said there were machinations within the world federation seeking his demise.

"If you want to kill a dog, you say it has rabies," he said. "But watch out, the dog can turn into a wolf. I will not be done in by Anglo-Saxon lobbying."

Le Gougne's lawyers argue that ISU officials used undue influence over the French judge and made false accusations. They want these issues also addressed.

They have asked for a long list of witnesses to be heard but said the ISU has not granted that request, leading to charges that the hearing is already biased even before it starts.

"There are only witnesses for the prosecution and not for the defense," Gailhaguet said. "Objectively, you don't judge on the atmosphere surrounding the case. You judge on the facts.

"Our sport should not be discredited based on hearsay," he said. "They need proof," he said. "Where can they find proof?"

Many of the accusations have come from Canadian or U.S. officials, and Gailhaguet has said the North American media has been out to discredit him.

In a separate interview in Monday's edition of the French newspaper Le Figaro, Gailhaguet said, "I've concluded that I will never again attend international competitions in the United States without a lawyer. What happened at the Olympic Games has left me with a thirst for revenge."

The ISU only awarded the second gold to Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier on the premise of Le Gougne's "misconduct." She allegedly broke down in a post-event review meeting and said she had voted for the Russian pair of Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze under pressure from Gailhaguet.

Le Gougne is seeking to be reinstated. If the ISU clears her, it would cast doubt on the decision to award duplicate gold medals.

ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta on Sunday refused to comment on the hearing, which is described as confidential.

In the weeks leading up to the hearing, accusations of impropriety have flown from all sides, further discrediting a sport whose image was already badly damaged during the Winter Games.

The judging scandal already has had such an impact that Cinquanta wants to reform the whole points system and make judges much more independent from federations.

ISU officials hope the hearing will bring closure to the scandal and allow the June 3-7 ISU Congress in Kyoto, Japan, to push through sweeping change to restore the reputation of the sport.

If Gailhaguet and Le Gougne will take the issue to higher courts though, the scandal will drag on into the summer and cast a cloud over whatever reform is being discussed.

The ISU has said it wants a narrow focus on the allegations against Le Gougne and Gailhaguet and does not want to be sidetracked by more wide-ranging accusations.

 

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