JonnyCoop said:This whole assertion is so outrageous I don't even know where to start. Do not even get me started on US Federation power vs. French federation power UP UNTIL THE TIME THE FRENCH FEDERATION GOT BUSTED IN SALT LAKE CITY.
Also, do not make me do a rundown of comparitive French dance results vs. American dance results from about 1987 till 2 or 3 years ago. The French have had a lot more good results in this department than the Americans have, and I do not for one minute believe that the French have been robbed in this category right and left and held down year after year. Yes, the French by and large have had better dancers. But, with the exception of the screw jobs that seem to be done on Deloebel & Schoenfelder the last few seasons, they've had some pretty good success.
Please, don't be outraged. I'm open to other's view. I will expose to you what I think and then you can answer me where you consider me wrong. Let's just be constructive.
I think figure skating world is done that way. 2 real powerful federations (the one in the US where the figure skating industry stands and the historic and enormous russian one). The others are light weights. And ice dance is definitly a matter of weight ... and trade. The US federation wasn't counting in the ice dance world before because it wasn't interested in ice dancing before.
Let me present you a little history from the french side.
In the 70', a guy named Gailhaguet was skating. He thought that the way the french skaters were marked was unfair and that they weren't be rewarded as much as their talent was deserving it (since mid 60'). He considered the problem was: lack of lobbying.
So at the end of the 80's, when he began to be an established trainer, he began to do lobbying. For Surya... and for Philippe Candeloro and the Duchesnays. And the french began to make results. Maybe not gold but they were on the podium (and I don't think they were overmarked). So successfull Mister Gailhaguet became president of the French federation. And he continued to lobby.... As much as big federations and everyone who had a good athlete. But you know, it helps to be big. The judges undermarking athletes, judges' alliances were nice sport and nobody complained (yes, figure skating is still a sport... the athletes do believe that, so do I).
In 2002, there were a very good canadian pair and the northern american medias adopted them. They proclaimed that the canadians were the best... but the canadians didn't win (I prefered the canadians that night but I think the russians deserved to win the previous Worlds - for me, they are even). So the medias got angry. They decided to look "under the carpet" (and I think that, behind curtains, everyone knows about the others manoeuvres, so it was easy to find something) and successfull Mister Gailhaguet got caught (the 4 other judges who placed Salé/Pelletier 2nd were released of all charges). The usual silence about the figure skating habits was broken. Gailhaguet was crucified for the press' biggest pleasure. The french federation was demolished (it still is, unable to support our dance team). And our french dancers who were the center of the "plot" ... won with global approbation. (Yes, it's weird we had to plot for making them win as everyone recognised they were the best. It would be laughable if it wasn't that tragic). After that, the carpet was put back and everything continued as ever.
It still is.
You want to know about french ice dancers who were robbed. We had 4 great couples since 1987.
First, the most robbed, the one who have "revolutionned" ice dance: the franco-canadian Duchesnays. 2nd to Klimova/Ponomarenko ever. Without them, ice dance would have stayed the unevolutive classical thing it was in the 80' . They were robbed more than once.
Second, Moniotte-Lavanchy. They never could get the gold even if I think they deserved it once. In 1998, they were let down by the french federation who put all its support to Marina and Gwendal. Their usual results was at least in the top 3-4. Abandonned or "traded" as they said, they finished 11th at the Olympics (I think such a fall was a first in the ice dance history).
Third, Marina and Gwendal in 1998. Their Romeo and Juliet was gorgeous. They were better than the second couple, Krylova-Ovsianikov and they were put in the 3rd place. Being that good, Krylova-Ovsianikov tried their best to maintain them behind (and they really did it with Carmen).
Fourth, ... yesterday night.
So the history of robbed french ice dancers is quite long since 1987. But they are not alone. You can count in the lithuanians and some others. Were americans robbed ? They weren't even there (except the russian-american couple but they weren't at podium level, and they were "old"). And their federation wasn't giving a damn about them.
After the 2002 "events", the french medias gave a look at that strange thing that figure skating is (usually, they don't even give a look at figure skating but the smell of scandal ...). And Candeloro, the most natural and direct guy I know said in an interview:
"Gailhaguet now has a bad reputation but I want to thank him, even if we have had disputes. Because without him, I would never had the chance to get my results. A little french guy. Nobody wanted me on a podium. He was the one who made it possible. So I won't spit on him now." He thanked Marie-Reine LeGougne for having supported him too. I think he was couragious to state that as everyone was condemning Gailhaguet, trying not to be blown by the scandal. I still don't like Mister Gailhaguet.
I know this opinion can be raw but it's mine. For me, it's not "one federation did something bad ! Bouuuuh ! It's "that's how the system works ... and I don't like that !" I tried to express it without being hurtfull to anyone. Please, answer as well.