U.S. Gymnast May Share Gold Won in Scoring Error

The International Gymnastics Federation ruled that Yang had unfairly, though unintentionally, been docked one-tenth of a point Wednesday in the all-around final. As a result, Hamm became the first American to win a gold medal in the glamorous event, coming back dramatically from 12th place with two routines left after a devastating fall in the vault. Another South Korean, Kim Dae Eun, took silver, and Yang received the bronze.

The federation's admission threatened to shadow the Athens Games with a judging scandal in some ways resembling the one that dominated the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, when the International Olympic Committee ultimately awarded duplicate gold medals to Canadian and Russian pairs skaters.

"You can't replay what happened," a senior USOC official said Saturday night, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But you can say an honest mistake was made, and let's try to do something fair for both athletes."

The Korean team's top official, B.J. Shin, said, "Two athletes must be protected," adding that the gymnastics federation "should really correct the technical misjudgment."

Added Jae Soon Yoo, a delegation member: "We also don't want to break the heart of Paul Hamm. We would prefer if the two could share the gold medal."

The federation, known as FIG, suspended three judges to "maintain and ensure the highest possible judging standard at the Olympic Games." They were identified as Benjamin Bango of Spain, Oscar Buitrago Reyes of Colombia and George Beckstead of the United States.

Hamm won by just 0.012, or 12 one-thousandths of a point, the closest margin for the event in Olympic history. Yang was 0.049 behind Hamm.

In South Korea, angry sports fans flooded websites and Internet chat rooms claiming that Hamm was the beneficiary of U.S. favoritism. Similar claims arose in 2002, when American short track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno received a gold medal after South Korean Kim Dong Sung was judged to have interfered with him.