ITS SHARE OF COMPLAINTS OVER HOW ITS JUDGED.
ITS JUDGED. STEPHANIE GOSK IS LOOKING INTO
ALL THAT.
ALL THAT.
>> Reporter: GOOD MORNING. AS YOU KNOW, FIGURE SKATING IS
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SPORTS.
ITS ALSO THE ONE MOST PLAGUED
WITH SCANDAL.
WITH SCANDAL.
AT THE CENTER OF IT IS A JUDGING SYSTEM THAT CRITICS SAY IS RIFEG
SYSTEM THAT CRITICS SAY IS RIFE WITH NATIONALISTIC BIAS.
AN NBC NEWS INVESTIGATION TOOK A
CLOSER LOOK AT WHATS BEHIND THE SCORES FOR THOSE TRIPLE AXLES.E
SCORES FOR THOSE TRIPLE AXLES. AT THE 2014 SOCHI OLYMPICS, THIS
SKATER FUMBLED A COMPLICATED
JUMP IN HER ROUTINE.
THIS SOUTH KOREAN SKATER SEEMED
SURE TO WIN.
BUT SOCIETY KOVACOE SHE TOOK THE
WHEN SHE LEFT THE ICE, SHE
HUGGED ONE OF THE NINE JUDGES. ONE OF TWO RUSSIAN OFFICIALSS.
ONE OF TWO RUSSIAN OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN HER SCORING.
THE SOUTH KOREANS FILED A COMPLAINT, ALLEGING THE EVENT
WAS RIGGED.
WAS RIGGED.
BUT THE INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION DISMISSED THE COMPLAINT.
AND KIM HAD TO SETTLE FOR
SILVER.
SILVER.
WITH THE OLYMPICS IN PYEONGCHANG
STARTING LATER THIS WEEK, CRITICS WORRY THAT WHAT THEY
BELIEVE HAPPENEDSOCHI, MAY
WITH
WITH
BE INDICATIVE OF A BIGGER PROBLEM.ATIVE OF A BIGGER
PROBLEM.
THE SKATING LETS THE NATIONAL FEDERATIONG LETS THE NATIONAL
FEDERATION FEDERATION CHOOSE THE JUDGES
THEY SEND TO THE OLYMPICS.
AND ALLOWS THE JUDGES TO SCORE
THE SKATERS FROM THEIR OWN
COUNTRIES.
COUNTRIES.
OF THE 164 JUDGES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE, 20% HAVE HELD OR HOLD
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN THEIR
COUNTRYS SKATING COMMISSIONS.
THEY FOUND THAT THE NUMBERS OF
SCORES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT BIAS.
>> FROM THE LAST YEAR AND A
HALF, THERES A NATIONALISTIC
BIAS.
BIAS.
EVERY LINE ITEM ON THE SCORE SHEET, THE SAME COUNTRY JUDGE
WILL BE A QUARTER OF A POINT
HIGHER.
HIGHER.
>> DO YOU THINK WE CAN WATCH
JUDGING IN REAL-TIME IN PYEONGCHANG AND SAY, THERES
SOME BIAS THERE?
>> I THINK, ABSOLUTELY, YOU WILL
SEE THE JUDGES FROM THE SAME
COUNTRY GIVING SLIGHTLY HIGHER
MARKS TO THEIR -- COMPETERS FROM
THEIR COUNTRY.
THEIR COUNTRY.
>> Reporter: HE FOUND THAT THE NATIONALISTIC BIAS WASTHAT THE
NATIONALISTIC BIAS WAS PRONOUNCED AMONG JUDGES FROM
UKRAINE, RUSSIA, SOUTH KOREA AND
THE U.S.
THE U.S.
THE OTHER ISSUE WITH JUDGING --
OUR INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT
AMONG THE 164 JUDGES THAT MAY BE
HEADED TO THE OLYMPICS, 2 HAVE BEEN SANCTIONED IN THE PAST.VE
BEEN SANCTIONED IN THE PAST. AN ITALIAN WHO WAS SANCTIONED IN
2011 FOR PEEKING AT OTHER
SCORES.
SCORES.
AND A RUSSIAN WHO WAS SIGNALING
RANKING TO ANOTHER JUDGE. THE ISU SAYS IT HAS NEVER BANNED
A JUDGE FOR LIFE.
THATS A MAJOR PROBLEM SAYS TIM
GERBER, WHO TRAINED AS A
TECHNICAL SPECIALIST IN THE
SPORT.
SPORT.
>> IF SOMEONE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO CHEAT BEFORE, WHY IS THE ISU TO
CHEAT BEFORE, WHY IS THE ISU ACCEPTING THEM?
ACCEPTING THEM?
WHATS THE LEVEL OF INTEGRITY
HERE.
>> Reporter: QUESTIONS ABOUT SKATINGS INTEGRITY ARENT NEW.
U.S. PROSECUTORS CHARGED A
MOBSTER FOR FIXING A VICTORY FOR
PAIRS SKATERS IN SALT LAKE CITY.
IN RESPONSE, THE INTERNATIONAL
SKATING UNION OVERHAULED ITS
SCORING SYSTEM.
SCORING SYSTEM. BUT NOT EVERYONE IS CONVINCED IT
HAS FIXED THE PROBLEMS.
FORMER PROFESSIONAL SKATER CHLOE
KATZ SAYS THE SCANDALS CAST A
SCANDALS OVER THE SPORT.
>> I THINK OVERHAULING THE
JUDGING SYSTEM WAS JUST ONE
STEP.
STEP.
I THINK MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE. >> Reporter: IS THERE PART OF.
>> Reporter: IS THERE PART OF YOU IN THE BUILDUP TO OLYMPIC
GAMES THAT THINKS, I HOPE
THERES NOT ANOTHER SCANDAL?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. WE WORK OUR ENTIRE LIVES TO
THIS.
THIS. WE DEDICATE EVERYTHING TO OUR
SPORT.
SPORT.
WE GIVE UP SO MUCH. YOU WOULD HOPE THAT THE JUDGES
ARE FAIR.
ARE FAIR. >> Reporter: IN A STATEMENT TO
NBC NEWS, THE INTERNATIONAL
SKATING UNION SAYS IT HAS A
ROBUST SYSTEM FOR MONITORING
JUDGES AND IT WILL ISSUE
PENALTIES FOR OVERMARKING
SKATERS.
SKATERS.
AS FOR U.S. FIGURE SKATERS, THEY SAY THE PRESIDENT OF THEIR, THEY
SAY THE PRESIDENT OF THEIR ORGANIZATION, HAS RECUSED
HIMSELF FROM JUDGING THESE
OLYMPICS TO AVOID ANY CONFLICT