The 2002 Olympic Games
With David Wallechinsky
Olympic Historian
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2002; 3 p.m. EST

What four man bobsled team had a member facing the wrong direction? Which downhill skier finished more then eight minutes behind the winner? How are new Olympic events chosen? Who designed the 2002 medals? Why have the Russians dominated pairs figure skating?

Olympic historian David Wallechinsky was online to answer all your Winter Games questions from the 1922 Games in Chamonix, France to Salt Lake City.

Wallenchinsky is acknowledged as one of the foremost Olympic historians and is author of numerous books including "The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics" and "The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics." International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge recently awarded Wallenchinsky the Olympic Order -- an honor given to those who have contributed positively to the Olympic cause.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Woodley Park, Washington, D.C.: Hello,
I think the results of last night's pairs competition were a travesty. It was so obvious that the Canadian team beat the Russian skaters! In today's NY Times, it is alleged that the French judge supported the Russian effort as a result of "politics" and one unnamed skating official was said to be dismayed, and thought it would hurt the sport.
Question: has there ever been an instance in Olympic history where judges decisions were revisited and the medals awarded to different competitors? I'd like to see the gold medal taken away after a review of the videotape!

David Wallechinsky: There has never been a figure skating decision that was reversed after it was announced, although all judges' decisions are reviewed by a judges' oversight commission, and sometimes judges are individually punished.

Madison, Neb.: How many athletes are participating in this year's Winter Olympics?

David Wallechinsky: The last figure we saw was 2,531.

Arlington, Va.: A propos of the controversy from last night, I was wondering if your research has uncovered any information on the politics of judging.

During the Cold War, it was always assumed by commentators that all of the Soviet bloc judges would vote as a bloc based on the athletes country of origin, and that the Western judges, while perhaps not as organized, responded in kind. With the opening up of Eastern Europe, have any former judges come forward to claim that they were ordered to vote a certain way?

If memory serves, the only judges that were ever sanctioned were those responsible for the Roy Jones debacle. Have there been other instances where judges were put on the spot for their questionable "judgement?"

David Wallechinsky: Boxing judges have often been reprimanded and removed from their positions for the remainder of the Olympics. Most figure skating judging reprimands have happened outside the Olympics.

Montreal, Canada: I am surprised by the figure skating decision yesterday. Don't you hink that politics has taken over sports?

David Wallechinsky: Because four of the five judges who voted for the Russian pair were from the old Communist bloc, it is convenient to assume that politics was involved. However, it is just as possible that we're talking about stylistic politics. The old Communist bloc still prefers the traditional balletic form of pairs figure skating, while the "Western bloc" prefers livelier, entertaining programs.

Washington, D.C.: Hi, David. Do you think the results from the pairs competition reveals anything about how the Kwan v. Slutskaya bout will be judged? Have there been any other figure skating events where the results were so immediately scorned by the audience?

David Wallechinsky: There will be a different set of judges for the women's figure skating. Back in 1994, there was immediate disgust in the audience when Oksana Baiul was given the gold medal over Nancy Kerrigan. However, the next day the head of the judges' commission, to her credit, did meet with the press and explained that whereas the average viewer concentrates on the jumps, judges are also looking at spins, steps and transition moves.

Alexandria, Va.: Thanks for taking my questions:

In light of the reemergence of skeleton in the 2002 winter games, are there any other events (summer or winter) that may be resurrected to the Olympic stage in the near future?

Are there any sports (summer or winter)that are in consideration for demotion from the Olympics? Any to be added?

David Wallechinsky: The problem that the International Olympic Committee is facing is that the summer program is too big and the winter program is too small. It is highly unlikely that any new sports will be added to the summer program, although new events may be added to existing sports. For the moment, it looks like the same may apply to the winter games.

Marysville, Calif.: Why can't we watch all events of the Olympics live instead having one of the major networks dictate what we see?

David Wallechinsky: If you were living in Europe, you would be watching all of the events live because Eurosport broadcasts everything! If you don't like the way NBC covers the Olympics, I urge you to write to them and tell them so.

McLean, Va.: David, it seems that the judges in figure skating have already made up thier minds who is going to win which medals. Are their plans to end the scandals that come with the figure skating? Also, what are the chances that the Ice Dancing will be eliminated from the competetion.

Thanks!

David Wallechinsky: Of all the events in the Olympics, it certainly appears that ice dancing is the one in which the judging is completed before the performances. However, ice dancing always earns good television ratings, so it is unlikely it will be dropped from the Olympic program.

Lorton, Va.: I'm definately curious about the questions posted in the intro for this chat.

(What four man bobsled team had a member facing the wrong direction? Which downhill skier finished more then eight minutes behind the winner? How are new Olympic events chosen? Who designed the 2002 medals? Why have the Russians dominated pairs figure skating? )

Mind giving some rapid fire answers to them?

David Wallechinsky: OK, here goes:

1. The 1992 Soviet four-man bobsled ended up with one man facing the wrong way.

2. Actually that was five minutes slow, and it was Christos Papageorgiou of Greece in 1952. This was the largest margin of defeat in downhill history.

3. Any sport that wants to join the Olympics must follow a rigid procedure of organizing regional and world championships and submitting their applications to the IOC. They are first accepted as "associate members" of the Olympic movement and then they apply to be full members and included in the Olympic program. Sports that are already in the Olympics can apply to the IOC to add additional events.

4. The medals were designed by an American company that takes about 30 man hours to create each individual medal.

5. The Russians have the most advanced tradition of ballet, and so it was only natural that they should convert that artform to the ice. In addition, there is a very dynamic internal competition between figure skaters from Moscow and figure skaters from St. Petersburg.

Arlington, Va.: Why was skeleton discontinued? Why has it been reinstated?

Thanks

David Wallechinsky: Originally, skeleton was only included in the Olympics when the Games were held in St. Moritz. It was reinstate in 2002 as part of the IOC's movement to include more sports that are telegenic and that appeal to young people.

Harrisburg, Pa.: How is nationality established for Olympic competition? Have there been many cases of athletes moving to different countries in order to improve their chances of qualifying for the Olympics?

David Wallechinsky: An athlete must compete for the nation in which he or she holds citizenship. There are many cases of athletes changing countries, particularly in those sports in which one country is overloaded with talent, such as the Chinese in table tennis and the Bulgarians in weightlifting.

Charlottesville, Va.: Many years ago I traveled to Innsbruck, Austria, and during my visit I went to a number of the Olympic venues, such as the figure skating stadium. I was shocked at how small everything was. Clearly, large crowds were not attending when Innsbruck hosted the games. When did the Winter Olympics become the huge commercial enterprise that it now is?

David Wallechinsky: It is only recently that the Winter Olympics have become such a big event. The biggest factor in its development has been the growth of TV coverage.

Alexandria, Va.: Just how harshly will Olympic history view the judges that robbed Sale and Pelletier of that gold medal last night? Anyone with eyes could have seen that the Canadians had by far the best program in the pairs.

David Wallechinsky: The International Skating Union will review the decision, and they may reprimand one or two of the judges, but there is nothing that the IOC can do, because the running of competitions is the responsibility of the international sports federation in charge of each sport.

Alexandria, Va.: Since we seem to want to talk about controversial decisions -- can you recall any specific decisions/calls that gave the favor to the Americans?

David Wallechinsky: Many countries were outraged by the pro-American decisions in the 1984 Olympic boxing tournament in which only one decision in the entire tournament went against an American. That was the most outrageous one.

Alexandria, Va.: Is the length of time (16 days) for the Winter games the same as the Summer games? If so, the summer games should be extended since there are so many more sports.

David Wallechinsky: Thank you for asking this question; it's one of my pet peeves! Both the Winter and Summer Games are 17 days long, including the Opening Ceremony. I believe that the Summer Games should be extended one week, with two days off to allow journalists to rest. Keep in mind that the World Cup, the second-biggest sporting event in the world, lasts for four weeks and only includes one sport.

Gaithersburg, Md.: When did the Olympics originate with the Greeks? How and when did it get started again and what prompted its re-introduction?

Also, when I was growing up, summer and winter Olympics used to be in the same year every four years. I must have missed the memo, but somewhere in the past ten years, it got all mixed up. Why did it change?

David Wallechinsky: The ancient Greek Olympics appear to have started in the eighth century BC and went on for more than 1,100 years. The modern Games were created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and the first modern Games were held in 1896. Through 1992, the Winter and Summer Games were held in the same year. An extra Winter Olympics was added in 1994, and since then, the Games have been in different years.

Alexandria, Va.: Does Eurosport actually broadcast all the events live, even those like skating that would be in the middle of the night in Europe? Or do they tape some of it? Also, is there any way for us beleagured Americans to get our hands on some of those tapes? I'd love to see the entire figure skating competitions, not just the top competitors, and wish I could see all the women's hockey, but unfortunately have to work while that's on.

David Wallechinsky: Eurosport, as well as many of the European networks, broadcast everything live and then rebroadcast some events during normal waking hours. I'm not sure how you can get a tape.

Chantilly, Va.: David: I'm a big fan of your books, going back to the Books of Lists!

So, quick question: what do you consider the top five Olympic travesties? (I'd be curious to compare your list with Bud Greenspan's)

David Wallechinsky: In no order ...

Roy Jones's "loss" to Park Si-hun in the 1988 boxing tournament. That was the worst decision that I personally witnessed, although Evander Holyfield's disqualification in 1984 comes close.

I would consider almost any ice dancing decision to be a near-travesty, because the decisions seem to be made in advance.

It was most unfortunate that the American swimmer Rick DuMont lost his gold medal in 1972 because of a positive drug test, considering that he had listed the asthma medicine he was taking on his official entry forms. The villians in this case were not the IOC but the US Olympic Committee officials, who failed to compare his medicine against the list of prohibited drugs.

Gaithersburg, Md.: Several sports writers have expressed the opinion that if you can't scorepoints, weigh it, time it orobjectively measure it, it is not a support. Basically Ballet dancing and figure skating are beautiful and athletic but aren't a support since the measures are subjective. What do you think?

David Wallechinsky: I have trouble with any event that is judged, and that includes anything ranging from boxing to synchronized swimming. However, these judged sports garner high TV ratings and the participants are legitimate athletes.

Maryland: Enough skating! Enough snow boarding for that matter as well. THE excitement yesterday in my opinion was the U.S. men's curling team's upset of the reigning world champs, Sweden. True they lost the second game to Canada (also favored), but they weren't blown off the ice there either. Tim Somerville's team has a real chance for not just a medal, but a gold one. This is a great story. Scrappy working class underdogs with a great historical link (Tim's dad Bud is the team coach and the most successful U.S. curler on the international level ever). Enough unjustified abuse of curling. It's a great sport and the event in this year's Olympics promises some edge of the seat competition. At least the incredibly moving Sandra Schmirler story got some play today.

David Wallechinsky: I have a lot of fun making fun of curling, which I believe is part of the IOC's movement to democratize the Olympics by allowing non-athletes to compete. However, I have to admit that I do enjoy watching curling. In Nagano, I actually did live play-by-play of the men's curling semifinals--on radio!

washingtonpost.com:
The International Skating Union just announced that it is going to launch an inquiry into last nights pairs decision. What is the likelihood that such an inquiry will result in a reversal?

ISU to Launch Inquiry Into Pairs Judging (Feb. 12, 2002)

David Wallechinsky: There had never been a reversal of an Olympic figure skating decision. Please keep in mind that ALL judges' decisions are reviewed by an oversight panel.

Chicago, Ill.: We are hearing about former inline skaters moving to speed skating, and having success! Are there any stories of people who have picked up an Olympic sport ridiculously easy or quickly and medaled?

David Wallechinsky: The most famous example of an athlete winning a gold medal quickly is the American Bob Mathias. In 1948, when he was 17 years old, he won the Olympic decathlon only four months after learning that such an event existed. He is still the youngest male to win a track and field gold medal in the Olympics.

Tucson, Ariz.: I really believe the Canadians were robbed last night, but my question is actually about something else.

Don't you think it's a shame that in order to fit in and be competitive the asian pairs skaters were skating to western music? Hopefully someday they will be able to express their own culture in an environment which is supposed to be international.

David Wallechinsky: This is a very good point. I would love to see the Asian skaters skate to pure Asian music, even if it meant sacrificing their scores in the short term.

pro-American calls: Though many people won't remember, there has been speculation that the 1984 bronze medal in men's sabre fencing was won through politically motivated judging.

David Wallechinsky: I have to admit, I don't remember that one! Can you give details?

Baltimore, Md.: When can we exepect a new "People's Almanac?" The first one was frickin' awesome!

David Wallechinsky: If you liked "The People's Almanac," please look for my more recent work: "David Wallechinsky Presents the 20th Century: History with the Boring Parts Left Out."

Alexandria, Va.: I was (morbidly) fascinated by the story on TV last night about the German luge coach who lost his foot when a sled ran over it. Any other coaches you know of who have lost a body part or been seriously injured in the course of their coaching (not playing or competing) duties?

David Wallechinsky: OK, that is so weird that I have to answer it.

At the 1988 Olympics, Austria's leading ortheopedic surgeon Jorg Oberhammer fell beneath a snow-grooming machine and was killed instantly. Two Swiss skiers, Pirmin Zurbriggen and Martin Hangl, witnessed the event. Zurbriggen went on to win the bronze that day, but Hangl collapsed near the starting gate and had to withdraw.

Washington, D.C.: My eight-year-old son watched "Cool Runnings" recently and wants to know if the Jamaican bobsled team still exists and how it is doing. Thank you

David Wallechinsky: Yes, they are here. They are definitely competiting, although the bobsled competition has not begun yet.

Providence, R.I.: Have any Winter Olympic events been completly canceled because of inclement weather?

David Wallechinsky: The 1928 men's 10,000m speedskating event was officially cancelled because of warm weather, after 10 of the skaters had already raced. The IOC considers this event to be unofficial, but Olympic historians include it in the record books anyway, because all of the leading contenders had already competed.

Chicago, Ill.: How is the business of the Olympics structured? Where does the money go (TV contract, sales of tickets and souveniers) and who is in charge of the games operations. Does it have to be such a mystery?

David Wallechinsky: This is a simple question with a complicated answer. Surprising as it may seem, the financial books of the IOC are completely open. Although the revenue from ticket sales and certain sponsorships go directly to the organizing committee of the Olympics, the revenue from the sale of television rights and that of international sponsors goes to the IOC, which then distributes it to the organizing committees, to national Olympic committees and to the Solidarity Program, which supports athletes from poor nations.

Baltimore, Md.: Speaking of injuries, when I see the luge I just have to think there have been fatalities. Have there?

David Wallechinsky: There have only been two competition-related deaths in the Olympics: in 1912, a Portugese runner died during the running of the marathon, and in 1960, a Danish cyclist died during the road race. It was later determined that he had taken stimulants before the race.

Pittsburgh, Pa.: Canada has not won the Men's Hockey gold since 1952 (which I think is one of the more amazing Olympic stats -- USA has won two since Canada's last one). What kind of pressure must there be on Mario Lemieux and company to bring it home this year?

David Wallechinsky: It is important to keep in mind why it is that Canada has not won a gold medal in 50 years. In 1956, the USSR and Czechoslovakia began competiting in Olympic ice hockey. Because they were Communist nations, they claimed that none of their athletes were professionals. Consequently, the USSR and Czechoslovakia were allowed to enter their best hockey players, while the rest of the world had to settle for amateurs. In the 1970s, the Canadians actually boycotted the Olympic hockey tournament to protest the inequity of this rule.

Washington, D.C.: Back to the Jamaican bobsled team. I know they crashed on their last run, as portrayed in the movie. Did they really carry their sled across the finish line, as portrayed, or was that pure Hollywood?

David Wallechinsky: The movie "Cool Runnings," although highly entertaining, is pure fiction.

Delray, Va.: First, thanks for coming online. This is a great.

Second, what are your the top five sports you would like to see eliminated from the Olympics (either summer or winter).

David Wallechinsky: I answer this at the risk of offending numerous people. My least favorite Olympic events are dressage, synchronized swimming, synchronized diving and any future event that might be synchronized!

Toronto, Canada: Please tell Alexandria that the CBC shows everything live in Canada as well (including the whole figure skating event). You can get contact info at www.cbc.ca re: getting tapes.

David Wallechinsky: Thanks for the tip!

Alexandria, Va.: David, I've admired your work for quite some time, so it's great to participate in this chat with you!

As I see the IOC has announced those cities bidding for the 2010 Winter Games (including Vancouver; Jaca, Spain; Andorra; and both a Chinese and Korean city), any speculation as to which city might get it?

Also, do you think the US has any realistic hopes I landing the 2012 Summer Games, given that the US has hosted the games 4 times in the past 22 years (never mind the mixed results of the organization in Atlanta)?

David Wallechinsky: It's too early to select a favorite for the 2010 Games, although I think you can count on Andorra NOT winning, considering that it is one of only two nations in the world without an international airport (the other being Liechtenstein). I think it is unlikely that the US will be awarded the 2012 Games, simply because, as you say, the US has already hosted four Olympics in 22 years.

pro-American calls follow up: In 1984, sabre fencing was still in the pre-electric era and judging occured with two side judges and a referee (director). Peter Westbrook (incidentally the last American to medal in fencing -- although the women's foil team placed 4th at the 2000 games) won the bronze medal. It has been suggested that he won the bronze medal bout through some questionable calls by an Eastern bloc director (sabre and foil fencing is sometimes objectively judged due to the determination by the director of who has priority -- this is unlike epee fencing where there is no priority). Anyway, the story goes that one of the side judges in the gold medal bout between a French fencer (I think) and a Soviet fencer was an American and threw some calls toward the Soviet in exchange for some calls being thrown in the bronze bout to favor the American. This may or may not be the case, but some people have suggested it.

David Wallechinsky: My favorite fencing controversy took place in 1924, when there were numerous accusations of match fixing that actually led to two real duels after the Olympics!

Thanks for the info.

Washignton, D.C.: What is your favorite winter event? Summer event?

David Wallechinsky: My favorite winter sport is short track speed skating, and my favorite summer sport is track and field.

Gaithersburg, Md.: Among participants from poorer nations this year, are there any who are legitimate medal contenders?

David Wallechinsky: One of the problems with the Winter Olympics is that there are no athletes from poor nations. In the Summer Games there have frequently been winners from poor countries. For example, in the 2000 Sydney Games, the women's 800m was won by Maria Mutola of Mozambique. She was one of the athletes that the IOC supported financially, allowing her to train in the United States.

Woodbridge, Va.: Is there any standard requiring participation for including an event in the Olympics? For example, with only 10 teams in the competition, curling seems pretty pointless.

David Wallechinsky: What I find bizarre about the inclusion of curling in the Olympics is that 94 percent of the licensed curlers in the world live in only one country, Canada. This hardly meets the alleged IOC requirement that a sport be practiced around the world. Clearly, though, the IOC is trying to build up the winter program, much to the benefit of North American athletes.

David Wallechinsky: Thank you for all these questions. I found them interesting and entertaining. I am off to be on MSNBC TV in 2 1/2 hours, and then tonight I look forward to the short program of men's figure skating.

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

   |      |