Support The Moscow Times!

South Korea in Official Complaint Over Sotnikova's Sochi Skating Gold

South Korea has lodged a long-awaited complaint with the International Skating Union over the decision to overlook its star figure skater and award Sochi Olympic gold to Russia's Adelina Sotnikova.

South Korea's Kim Yu-Na skated more or less cleanly in the final round of the women's figure skating event back in February, but was denied top spot by Sotnikova, 17, who appeared to make an error while landing one of her jumps.

Despite the figure skating final taking place nearly two months ago, South Korea's skating union only last week submitted its official complaint, the country's Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday.

The complaint centers around the make-up of the judging panel, which included Alla Shekhovtsov, the wife of the general director of Russia's figure skating federation, and Ukraine's Yuri Balkov, who was previously suspended from judging for a year over a controversy at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

The Russian figure skating federation is yet to receive formal notification of South Korea's complaint, its head Alexander Gorshkov said, R-Sport reported.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more