ISU announced the outcome of the inquiry into two Chinese judges.
Mr. Feng Huang (judge in the Pair event) is suspended as ISU Judge for Ice Dance and Single & Pair Skating and International Referee for Single and Pair Skating for 1 year
Ms Weiguang Cheng (judge in the Men Event) is suspended as ISU Judge for Single & Pair Skating and International Judge for Ice Dance for 2 years
Full decision on Huang:https://www.isu.org/communications/17359-case-2018-02-isu-vs-huang/file
Full decision on Chen: https://www.isu.org/communications/17361-case-2018-06-isu-vs-chen/file
Selected passages from decision on Huang:
Prior to the Olympic Winter Games 2018, on January 15, 2018, the ISU Officials Assessment Commission (OAC) sent a “Letter of Warning” to the Alleged Offender regarding his judging in the Pairs event at the ISU Grand Prix Final 2017. The letter read as follows:
The Panel finds that the Alleged Offender has violated Rule 430 ISU Special Regulations for Single and Pair Skating 2016 and the Code of Ethics 2017.
In the Pairs Short Program
The GOE scores for the Chinese Pair, Sui / Han, (where all elements had a +3 score) showed a clear tendency towards bias. However, some other colleagues, who have awarded a similar high score, have supported this result. The major criticism is his high tendency of low GOE scores for elements, executed by the couple Savchenko / Massot, which has not been supported by his fellow judges. He awarded his own two pairs the highest GOE of all competing pairs and amongst the medal candidates the second lowest GOE for the couple Savchenko / Massot.
The Program Component scores show anomalies that are very much like the GOE scores. As an example, the Chinese Pair Sui / Han have been awarded 49,25 total points by the Alleged Offender in the Components, while the best following pair in his ranking has received 4,0 points less.
In the Pairs Free Program
The marks of the Alleged Offender for the Free Program show the same approach to judging as in the Short Program. In general, he awarded his own pair, Sui / Han, the highest GOE score of +3 for each element, with the exception that when they made a major mistake he applied the lowest possible deduction of -1. Also, in his Free Program judging he shows a clear tendency to set a difference in points between his pair and their direct competitors. His highest GOE score was given to his own pair, and in the Program Components he also had set a difference of 2,25 points between Sui / Han and the next ranked pair. Such a tendency has not been supported by any other judge nor through the result. The Alleged Offender was the only judge, who awarded the Chinese couple Sui / Han the first place.
Selected passages from decision on Chen:
The ISU Official Assessment Commission (OAC) has examined the marks of the Alleged Offender and reported as follows:
Short Program:
National Bias S9 Not Possible:
1. Jin (China) 2nd in PC, after Hanyu
2. Jin higher than Fernandez and Chan in Skating Skills
3. Jin Outanding in SS, TR, C and IN
4. Judge S9 was 4 points higher in PC than the panel and 3 points higher tha
Free Program:
Judge S7 was too generous with GOEs for this skater. It clearly looks like National Bias, as S7 either rewarded for bullets, which were not there and/or did not make the
necessary reductions.
The Panel finds, that the Alleged Offender has violated Rule 430 ISU Special Regulations for Single and Pair Skating 2016 and the Code of Ethics 2017.
In the Short Program Men
The GOE scores for the Chinese skater Boyang (6 elements with a +3 score) show a clear tendency towards national bias. None of her other colleagues have supported this result.
The same applies to the Program Component scores. She is the only judge who awarded 9,25 for two components and 9,50 for three components. The fellow judges scored between 7,75 and 9,00, at an average of 8,25 for the components of Boynag in the Short Program.
In the Free Skating Pairs
The marks of the Alleged Offender for the Free Program show the same approach as in her judging of the Short Program. In general, she awarded the Chinese skater the highest GOE score (+3) on each element, with the exception that she applied a -3 for a fall and a +2 for a mediocre element. Whereas the other judges awarded GOE points between 0 and 2, the Alleged Offender used the maximum score of + 3 for 11 out of 13 elements.
Regarding the marks for the 5 components the Alleged Offender was the only judge of the panel who awarded to Boyang marks of 9.50 for four components, while all other judges had average component marks of less than 9.0.
There is no doubt that she preferred the Chinese skater over the other competitors and this fulfills the elements of national bias.
The Panel takes into consideration that the Alleged Offender has awarded marks for the Chinese skater which were not congruent with the real performance of the skater. Her marks were completely unrealistic and obviously aimed to prefer the Chinese skater and to put him on first place. By showing obvious and systematic national bias the Alleged Offender has committed one of the most serious ethical offences a judge can be accused of. The seriousness of her misconduct is aggravated by the fact that it was committed at the Olympic Winter Games, the doubtlessly most important and prestigious competition that exists in Figure Skating. Therefore, the Panel suspends the Alleged Offender not only for two years from now on but also excludes her from officiating at the occasion of the next Olympic Winter Games 2022 in Beijing.
Mr. Feng Huang (judge in the Pair event) is suspended as ISU Judge for Ice Dance and Single & Pair Skating and International Referee for Single and Pair Skating for 1 year
Ms Weiguang Cheng (judge in the Men Event) is suspended as ISU Judge for Single & Pair Skating and International Judge for Ice Dance for 2 years
Full decision on Huang:https://www.isu.org/communications/17359-case-2018-02-isu-vs-huang/file
Full decision on Chen: https://www.isu.org/communications/17361-case-2018-06-isu-vs-chen/file
Selected passages from decision on Huang:
Prior to the Olympic Winter Games 2018, on January 15, 2018, the ISU Officials Assessment Commission (OAC) sent a “Letter of Warning” to the Alleged Offender regarding his judging in the Pairs event at the ISU Grand Prix Final 2017. The letter read as follows:
The Panel finds that the Alleged Offender has violated Rule 430 ISU Special Regulations for Single and Pair Skating 2016 and the Code of Ethics 2017.
In the Pairs Short Program
The GOE scores for the Chinese Pair, Sui / Han, (where all elements had a +3 score) showed a clear tendency towards bias. However, some other colleagues, who have awarded a similar high score, have supported this result. The major criticism is his high tendency of low GOE scores for elements, executed by the couple Savchenko / Massot, which has not been supported by his fellow judges. He awarded his own two pairs the highest GOE of all competing pairs and amongst the medal candidates the second lowest GOE for the couple Savchenko / Massot.
The Program Component scores show anomalies that are very much like the GOE scores. As an example, the Chinese Pair Sui / Han have been awarded 49,25 total points by the Alleged Offender in the Components, while the best following pair in his ranking has received 4,0 points less.
In the Pairs Free Program
The marks of the Alleged Offender for the Free Program show the same approach to judging as in the Short Program. In general, he awarded his own pair, Sui / Han, the highest GOE score of +3 for each element, with the exception that when they made a major mistake he applied the lowest possible deduction of -1. Also, in his Free Program judging he shows a clear tendency to set a difference in points between his pair and their direct competitors. His highest GOE score was given to his own pair, and in the Program Components he also had set a difference of 2,25 points between Sui / Han and the next ranked pair. Such a tendency has not been supported by any other judge nor through the result. The Alleged Offender was the only judge, who awarded the Chinese couple Sui / Han the first place.
Selected passages from decision on Chen:
The ISU Official Assessment Commission (OAC) has examined the marks of the Alleged Offender and reported as follows:
Short Program:
National Bias S9 Not Possible:
1. Jin (China) 2nd in PC, after Hanyu
2. Jin higher than Fernandez and Chan in Skating Skills
3. Jin Outanding in SS, TR, C and IN
4. Judge S9 was 4 points higher in PC than the panel and 3 points higher tha
Free Program:
Judge S7 was too generous with GOEs for this skater. It clearly looks like National Bias, as S7 either rewarded for bullets, which were not there and/or did not make the
necessary reductions.
The Panel finds, that the Alleged Offender has violated Rule 430 ISU Special Regulations for Single and Pair Skating 2016 and the Code of Ethics 2017.
In the Short Program Men
The GOE scores for the Chinese skater Boyang (6 elements with a +3 score) show a clear tendency towards national bias. None of her other colleagues have supported this result.
The same applies to the Program Component scores. She is the only judge who awarded 9,25 for two components and 9,50 for three components. The fellow judges scored between 7,75 and 9,00, at an average of 8,25 for the components of Boynag in the Short Program.
In the Free Skating Pairs
The marks of the Alleged Offender for the Free Program show the same approach as in her judging of the Short Program. In general, she awarded the Chinese skater the highest GOE score (+3) on each element, with the exception that she applied a -3 for a fall and a +2 for a mediocre element. Whereas the other judges awarded GOE points between 0 and 2, the Alleged Offender used the maximum score of + 3 for 11 out of 13 elements.
Regarding the marks for the 5 components the Alleged Offender was the only judge of the panel who awarded to Boyang marks of 9.50 for four components, while all other judges had average component marks of less than 9.0.
There is no doubt that she preferred the Chinese skater over the other competitors and this fulfills the elements of national bias.
The Panel takes into consideration that the Alleged Offender has awarded marks for the Chinese skater which were not congruent with the real performance of the skater. Her marks were completely unrealistic and obviously aimed to prefer the Chinese skater and to put him on first place. By showing obvious and systematic national bias the Alleged Offender has committed one of the most serious ethical offences a judge can be accused of. The seriousness of her misconduct is aggravated by the fact that it was committed at the Olympic Winter Games, the doubtlessly most important and prestigious competition that exists in Figure Skating. Therefore, the Panel suspends the Alleged Offender not only for two years from now on but also excludes her from officiating at the occasion of the next Olympic Winter Games 2022 in Beijing.