08-24-2004, 09:30 AM
|
#3 (permalink)
|
|
Here is another one, I am not sure how much attention this is getting in the U.S.
Quote:
Korea fighting for gymnastics gold
Sunday, August 22, 2004 Posted: 8:01 AM EDT (1201 GMT)
Hamm flanked by his South Korean rivals with Yang Tae-young on right
ATHENS, Greece (Reuters) -- South Korea will gather video evidence before lodging an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport after scoring errors robbed Yang Tae-young of Olympic gold.
Paul Hamm, who became the first American man to win the Olympic all-round title, should not have been awarded the gold the governing body of gymnastics (FIG) ruled on Saturday.
But FIG -- they suspended three judges including an Ameruican -- said Hamm would keep his medal despite the mistake that cost bronze medalist Yang the title.
However, a CAS spokesman said the court did not normally adjudicate on disputes over a scoring issue:
"CAS practice is quite clear. It refuses to enter into a scoring dispute unless there's been a case of bribery and this is not the case regarding the gymnastics dispute," he said.
"But we will look at the case once it is filed."
The FIG admitted Yang had been unfairly docked a tenth of a point from his parallel bars routine during the all-round final, which left Hamm claiming the crown with a score of 57.823. Yang finished third on 57.774.
However, had Yang been credited with the correct difficulty score, the South Korean would have finished with a total of 57.874, 0.051 of a point ahead of his American rival.
Without the mistake, Hamm would have earned silver and Yang's team-mate Kim Dae-eun would also have dropped a place to bronze.
According to the rules of the federation, competitors can query the start value of a performance but it must be made no later than one rotation after the routine in question.
FIG said the South Koreans failed to lodge a protest in time. However, the South Koreans state they noticed the error immediately but were asked to file their complaint after the competition had ended.
Despite CAS's reaction, the South Korean official added: "We are not just talking about a scoring error here. It's not as clear cut as that. The FIG have admitted their mistake and we want our athlete to get what he deserves."
|
__________________
Sticky The Stickman
|
|
|