While the overhaul of figure skating’s international judging system in 2004 has gone a long way toward bringing integrity to a largely subjective process, it is not perfect.
Four months after the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, two Chinese judges have been suspended by the International Skating Union for giving “preferential marking” to skaters from their country.
The sanctions and rationale behind the them were explicated in detail in an ISU report issued earlier this week, and they represent an embarrassment to China in the run-up to the 2022 Winter Games, which will be hosted by Beijing.
One of the Chinese judges, Chen Weiguang, has been banned for two years and will not be allowed to serve as a judge for the 2022 Beijing Games.