- Joined
- Mar 23, 2010
Here is one suggestion going forward: Release tech panel's decision making process and make it public. Allow recording of the process by broadcasters with permissions: papers, screenshots, voice recording, video recording, etc.
This should not cost much $$, if at all, in the grand scheme of things. (I think there will be volunteering broadcasters) Does anyone object to this proposal on a principle? I am theory-crafting here.
What they should do is to go over all the records of the judging decision of every one on that judging panel, since their CV history should more than indicate their personal biases, preferences and judging trends. If they all share something in common (ie/strong preference of one particular skater/nationality/styles, or dislike of another), then there are sufficient ground for a biased panel therefore mistrial. Or they don't have to disclose to public but investigate by an independent auditing team that public can trust to look into this made of different nationalities of high reputation individuals. Nationalities with no conflict of interests to the competition and skaters nationality, not selected by ISU.
Will it happen? Highly unlikely unless someone fire speedy and start a movement of accountability, transparency to regain public trust and importantly to show all skater where ever they are from, they can believe and trust in the system again. Otherwise this sport will only ever be a musical chair contest between 4/5 nations, kind of like how it is now.
Problem is never with the system, it has always to do with the judges and the management of the judges. A sport that relies on 100% human judgements, should be managed with greater care through social science field (including psychology, cognitive sciences. human condition etc) Decisions need to be justified in words with feelings, interpretations, opinions and not binary decimal points, especially disparity of these binaries are often not explainable nor re calibrated between competitions, between skating orders, even between federations and home events.
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