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French skating president resigns

PARIS: Didier Gailhaguet, the head of France’s figure skating federation embroiled in a judging scandal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, has resigned, the federation said.

At the Salt Lake City games, Gailhaguet was accused by French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne of twisting her arm to favor Russia – a decision that deprived Canada of a gold medal in the figure skating competition. She later retracted the accusation. The French skating federation, in a statement on its web site Thursday, said Gailhaguet had resigned as president at a meeting a day earlier, but did not elaborate. Marc Faujanet, who heads the body’s federal council, took over as interim chief, the federation said. At the Salt Lake City games in 2002, Le Gougne awarded Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze a mark of 5.9 in the free program, but gave Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier 5.8. Other judges were evenly split – meaning that her vote decided who took gold.

At a post-competition review by judges, a teary Le Gougne said she had been under pressure from Gailhaguet to vote for the Russian pair. A duplicate gold medal was later awarded to the Canadians. Gailhaguet and Le Gougne were handed three-year bans from the International Skating Union following a hearing in April 2002. —AP

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