IIRC the referee was from Brazil.
Posted on 02/12/2026 10:41:37 PM PST by nickcarraway
The figure skating world is screaming sacré bleu over the scoring by French judge Jézabel Dabois that cost American pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates gold in the ice dance competition and handed the controversial French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron the top prize.
Dabois’ scoring has come under intense scrutiny in the 24 hours since Beaudry and Cizeron edged out Chock and Bates with a total score of 225.82, a mere 1.43 points better than the U.S. duo to win the gold. The French judge’s scores drastically differed from those of her fellow judges and herself when it came to the American and French skaters.
In the free dance event, Dabois scored Beaudry and Cizeron at 137.45 points, which was the second-highest for any judge, while only scoring Chock and Bates 129.74, making her the only judge not to give them more than 130 points.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I can remember the Soviet judges being accused of scoring their athletes higher than they deserved.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Katerina Witt. She was a figure skater. Good figure. Good skater.
I thought the new scoring system was supposed to prevent this.
Acting like the old Soviet judges.
IIRC the referee was from Brazil.
Not really... She was born in 1965 in East Germany, so maybe it was a Communist breeding program... But she was a very fetching young lady...
Cant’ believe they killed her in “Ronin”.
That sounds like a good idea. Of course, an American judge would likely score an American competitor lower if there's a Republican in the White House.
We used to love figure skating.
Then it came out the voting as fixed with the judges. It was when the Olympics were in n Utah.
We haven’t watched any figure skating since.
They instead said that they were proud to represent the US.
like boxing?
Yes, for Boxing to be a real sport, they should just keep boxing until somebody gets knocked out.
All sports have judges or referees. All can be biased or bought too.
It took less than one minute watching each of the two performances to see that the French judge was correct. The American skaters should have placed fourth behind the Italian couple.
That said, skate competition has always been subject to opinion and politics. Watch for the entertainment, not for the outcome.
Mountain climbing, auto racing, and bullfighting are sports. Everything else is just a game.
Soviet Frenchman. I thought the new scoring system was supposed to prevent this.
“...which receives no federal funding and is forced to rely on other payment streams for its athletes.”
Sorry for the length, but there’s a lot to it.
The athletes do receive money and tax breaks from the federal government. It’s the wording that is used to cover it.
1. Tax Exemptions on Prizes and Medals
The “United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act” provides a significant tax benefit to athletes by excluding the value of their medals and USOPC prize money from their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for federal income tax purposes.
Threshold: This tax exemption applies to athletes with an AGI of less than $1 million.
Prize Money: In 2026, U.S. athletes can earn $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze through the USOPC’s “Operation Gold” program without paying federal tax on those amounts.
Medal Value: The raw material value of the medals themselves is also excluded from federal income tax.
2. Tax Deductions for Athletes
Because most U.S. Olympians are treated as independent contractors for tax purposes, they can deduct “ordinary and necessary” business expenses related to their sport on their federal tax returns (Schedule C). These deductions include:
Coaching and training staff costs.
Equipment and maintenance.
Travel and lodging for competitions.
4. Non-Federal Funding Sources
The “federal tax money” often assumed to fund the team is actually, in large part, “fan-funded” through:
Sponsorships & Broadcasting: Roughly 75% to 80% of the USOPC budget comes from these sources.
Private Donations: The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, generates philanthropic support.
New Private Initiatives: Starting in 2026, a $100 million private donation from Ross Stevens will provide $100,000 payments to Team USA athletes, further decreasing reliance on public funds.
In summary, federal involvement in the Olympic program is through tax policy (treating winnings as tax-exempt and allowing business deductions) rather than direct funding.
There are, also, specialized, high-level training facilities designed for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, but they are generally not directly operated by the federal government. Instead, they are operated by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which is a federally chartered nonprofit organization.
Primary Training Centers
The USOPC operates two main Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) that serve as the primary hubs for elite athlete training:
Colorado Springs, Colorado: The flagship training facility, serving as the home to many summer sports and the USOPC headquarters.
Lake Placid, New York: A hub for winter sports, utilizing legacy venues from the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.
The Colorado Springs facility was built on the former Ent Air Force Base, while the Lake Placid center was developed using existing venues, with significant upgrades by the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority.
Both the facilities are funded through the USOPC which is privately funded and does not receive federal financial support for its general operations, though it supports athletes through National Governing Bodies. So the funds are coming in, just not directly.
maintenance for Olympic-related venues in New York is generally managed by the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), which is a New York State public authority, is responsible for managing and maintaining over $625 million in Olympic venues, particularly in the Lake Placid region. there is another contractor in Colorado doing that work. These facilities are funded through a combination of state of New York and Colorado, federal, and private funds.
So are the athletes professional performers? It depends on how the taxes break, the winning medals they have, and that they are using federally funded facilities on a year round basis.
wy69
The one instance that sticks out to me was game 7 of the 2014 Western Conference finals between the Blackhawks and the Kings. The refs took a Toews goal away from the Hawks that was initially ruled a goal, they ruled no goal after a ref conference, no video review. Toews was clearly pushed by a King player and his momentum caused him to make contact with the goaltender as his shot crossed the goal line. The ruling was no goal due to goaltender interference by Toews, but they never called a penalty on Toews, he should have went to the box for that. The network announcers were even saying the goal should stand. L.A. went on to win in overtime. They ended up beating a crappy Rangers team in the Stanley Cup, I'm sure the Hawks would have beat them too in the finals if that initial call stood and the Hawks advanced.
I still keep tabs of the Blackhawks on the radio sometimes, but don’t have cable and don’t watch any sports on tv. I would never place a wager on any sports, the fix is in, it goes as far back to 1919 Black Sox scandal, and probably further. It’s disheartening, with the shenanigans that take place in sports.
“...and is forced to rely on other payment streams for its athletes...”
A rose by any other name.
wy69
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