That's a good question. Historically, Poland suffered the geographical misfortune of being located between Germany and Russia -- a rock and a hard place, indeed. I don't know how all that affected figure skating -- but I always found it suspicious that Polish judges favored Drobiazko and Vanagas, while Lithuanian judges went out of their way to help Zagorska and Suidik. Ingrained racial memories of the glory days of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569-1795)?
(By the way, I just looked it up, and Zagorska and Suidik have the same number of national titles as Michelle Kwan -- nine. According to Wikipedia, Dobriaszko and Vanagas have 13. )
And that would be the East German judge. Four years earlier he cast the deciding vote for Oksana Baiul against Nancy Kerrigan.
I don't know how to slice apart quotes. Your quote is in answer to several other quotes...but I wanted to get these sections in.
A friend of mine who was fluent in Polish once conversed with another friend who was fluent in Lithuanian. Each spoke his/her own language, but they both understood each other. Fascinating to watch. I gather there's a certain amount of sympatico between Poland and Lithuania culturally. For example, I think that both are Roman Catholic countries predominantly, rather than Eastern Orthodox as many other surrounding countries are. In any case, I can see them supporting one another's skaters for a host of reasons.
I can see why Drobiazko and Vanagas and the Siudeks would be national champions for so long. They really were the only world-class skaters in their respective countries during that time, much the way Julia Sebestyen was in Hungary. They kept their quality high and did well in world standings during most of that time, which was admirable. (D and V were undermarked quite frequently, I thought. But that's another fish to fry.) It's more unexpected that Michelle would win nine championships in the U.S. because the field was deeper here. Look at the people who almost knocked her off--Sasha, Naomi Nari Nam in that annus mirabilis of hers, Sarah Hughes. Yet Michelle prevailed.
The German judge was Jan Hoffman, himself a near-win in the 1980 Olympics. Wasn't he coached by Jutta Mueller, Witt's coach? He lost out to Robin Cousins, which I thought was a good outcome, since Cousins was one of the most elegant skaters ever plus a great jumper, though politics might have been part of it. Wasn't Carlo Fassi doing some kind of horse-trading for that win? In any case, I remember the commentary in '98 about Hoffman's having voted for Oksana in '94 and Kwan in '98. Whoever brought it up pointed out that Hoffman valued artistry both times, and I've always had a soft spot for him since then. I vaguely recall hearing that he's a decent chap and has been well-liked in the skating world since his own competitive days.