OK, so what's the advantage??

[BravesSkateFan]

What is the point of judges cheating? Other than getting thier skater on the podium what benefit does it give them. How does cheating pay off for the judge, or even for the federation. I don't really get skating politics most of the time, so maybe that's why I'm in the dark about this, but I don't get it. Your country isn't going to fall apart if one of your skaters doesn't medal, or win the gold. Can someone offer some insight?

 

[Mathman]

I think some people are just natural born cheaters. Look at the majority of politicians, for instance. They just get a kick out of skulking around making backroom deals, doublecrossing their erstwhile allies, and manipulating other people. For such folks the medal count is the tally as to who played the game most cleverly.

Mathman

 

[Ptichka]

$$$
Federations are largely sponsored by their governements. A federation that does not bring in medals will not get the funding. Period.

Pride
Nation gets a lot of pride from medals.

Personal preferance
Say a judge likes a skater personally, or is friends with their coach. The judge would be happy to see that skater win. Or they just think, "Yah, sure, she did not have a good skate today, but I know she's awesome". So they cheat.

 

[Ladskater]

BravesSkateFan:

It's all about politics. Judges used to make "back room" deals - as Toller Cranston called them to get their skater moved up in the ranks faster. Unfortunately, it is the down side of figure skating. We as the fans, expect everything to be "above board," but not so. Who knows when it all started? It happens in other sports too. Thank goodness, fans are more aware now so they are trying to improve things.

 

[millyskate]

It's simply about egos , i'm pretty sure; It's the same in music. I'm a new teacher in a conservatoire and this week presented my first load of advanced pupils for examinations. The adjudication was a battle of egos: it was quite a revelation to be behind the scenes for the first time. The discussions become totally irrelevant to the actual performances, it's heartbreaking when you know how much work has gone into the playing and how little the panel actually care about the future of the young musicians.