Ottavio Cinquanta

Ottavio Cinquanta was elected to a third consecutive term as president of the International Skating Union by acclamation Friday, affirming his mandate to develop the reform project he backed during the organization's biennial Congress. "We are not in the best moment, but we have given evidence we are proactive and responsible," he said, referring to the Salt Lake City Olympic judging scandal and the ISU's resulting decision to change its judging process.

Accepting that Tokyo could not host the World Figure Skating Championships next week, the sport's governing body stepped up efforts Monday to find a new venue and dates for its marquee event. The International Skating Union is expected to announce a backup plan this week after giving up hopes ? initially shared with Japanese organizers ? to proceed as planned after Tokyo's Yoyogi stadium escaped damage in Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami. Instead, the ISU made the inevitable ruling ?

Accepting that Tokyo could not host the World Figure Skating Championships next week, the sport's governing body stepped up efforts Monday to find a new venue and dates for its marquee event. The International Skating Union is expected to announce a backup plan this week after giving up hopes ? initially shared with Japanese organizers ? to proceed as planned after Tokyo's Yoyogi stadium escaped damage in Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami. Instead, the ISU made the inevitable ruling ?

Ottavio Cinquanta was elected to a third consecutive term as president of the International Skating Union by acclamation Friday, affirming his mandate to develop the reform project he backed during the organization's biennial Congress. "We are not in the best moment, but we have given evidence we are proactive and responsible," he said, referring to the Salt Lake City Olympic judging scandal and the ISU's resulting decision to change its judging process.

Ottavio Cinquanta left no doubt who's running figure skating--or that he believes the time has passed for cronyism and outdated rules. An International Skating Union proposal for major reform of the sport's judging and scoring, pushed vigorously by Cinquanta, was approved, 81-16, with seven abstentions at the ISU Congress Monday evening here.

Ottavio Cinquanta, president of the International Skating Union, is aggressively pursuing a strategy to bring figure skating and speedskating more prominence in others parts of the world. He mentions the Koreas, China and Japan in particular as target areas. However, he sees no room for growth into Africa and South America. "It is not in the mentality," he says. "As soon as cricket is played intensively in the United States, we will be ready to be strong with skating in Africa."

Clapskates apparently are here to stay. Ottavio Cinquanta of Italy, head of the International Skating Union, said at a news conference that he did not view the innovative skates used in speedskating as mechanical and backed their continued use. The skates have been controversial since the Dutch introduced them last season, both because they were considered mechanical aids and because they were not available to everyone.

Shall we not dance? No, apparently we shall, but the rules will be changed for ice dancing before the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Concerned about calls for ice dancing's elimination from the Games because of incessant judging controversies, Ottavio Cinquanta, president of the International Skating Union, said Saturday that reforms will be instituted. "We are not deaf. We read and I am stimulated by this," he said during a news conference.

Judit Furst-Tombor of Hungary, a 25-year judging veteran who was regularly assigned to panels at the world and European championships, was dropped from the judging panel for the second women's qualifying group Wednesday at the behest of the Hungarian National Skating Federation.

Before the International Skating Union began a nine-hour hearing into the Olympic figure skating scandal Monday, the French judge at the center of the dispute complained she was the victim of "a one-way hearing, an organized massacre." The skating judge, Marie-Reine Le Gougne, declined to comment after coming out of the hearing room, but in an interview in Monday's edition of the French sports paper L'Equipe, she claimed the case was stacked against her.

Ottavio Cinquanta left no doubt who's running figure skating--or that he believes the time has passed for cronyism and outdated rules. An International Skating Union proposal for major reform of the sport's judging and scoring, pushed vigorously by Cinquanta, was approved, 81-16, with seven abstentions at the ISU Congress Monday evening here.

Figure skating's perfect mark of 6.0 dates to at least 1892, the year the International Skating Union was founded. At the time, compulsory figures were traced on the ice three times with one skate, then three times with the other. Judges scored every tracing, awarding a maximum of a point for each one. Therefore, a maximum of six points was given for each figure. The scale has evolved, but the system's value has not. Skaters start with a 6.

The International Skating Union said Tuesday it has given the U.S. Attorney in New York its complete files relating to its inquiry into the pairs figure skating controversy at the Salt Lake City Olympics. The documents became relevant when U.S. officials charged reputed Russian mobster Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov July 31 with trying to fix the outcome of the pairs and ice dance competitions at the Games.