FRENCH OFFICIAL: JUDGE PRESSURED.

Byline: Paul Oberjuerge Staff Writer

SALT LAKE CITY - Skategate found its ``smoking gun.''

The head of the French federation of ice sports late Wednesday said a French judge felt pressured to ``act in a certain way'' before casting a decisive vote for a Russian pairs team in the controversial Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games ice-skating competition Monday, the Associated Press reported.

``Some people close to the judge have acted badly and have put someone who is honest and upright, but emotionally fragile, under pressure,'' said Didier Gailhaguet, referring to skating judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne. ``She is a fragile person, and I think she has been somewhat manipulated.''

Le Gougne cast the fifth vote, from a panel of nine, for the Russian pair of Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, who narrowly won the gold medal over the Canadian pair of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier despite what appeared to be a stronger performance by Sale and Pelletier.

The judging provoked a firestorm of protest from fans and media. Rumors of vote-swapping or a fix circulated inside the skating community within minutes of the outcome, and by Tuesday morning Le Gougne reportedly told the referee of Monday's event, American Ron Pfenning, that she felt pressured to vote for the Russians.

Gailhaguet denied French-team culpability but did not identify the people close to Le Gougne who ``acted badly.''

``We cannot continue to let our judge be lambasted in this way,'' Gailhaguet said. ``What is true is that Marie-Reine has been put under pressure, which pushed her to act in a certain way.'' He also denied rumors of a deal with judges from the former East bloc.

Gailhaguet's statements could mean a re-ordering of the medals in the pairs competition, or it could lead to the award of a second set of gold medals to the Canadian pair, an outcome the Canadian team suggested earlier in the day.

The revelations from the French team were just the latest developments in a frantic day of bureaucratic maneuvering that began with International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta promising to look into ``allegations'' of impropriety but resisting suggestions the outcome of the pairs might be changed, and insisting the matter would not be taken up by the ISU until its scheduled Monday meeting.

Later Wednesday, Canada's Olympic Association repeated its call for an independent investigation of ISU judging, and Skate Canada said it would lodge an official appeal of the pairs judging.

By the end of the day, the International Olympic Committee, apparently unhappy that Skategate was becoming the biggest story of the Salt Lake Games, demanded the ISU speed up its investigation.

IOC president Jacques Rogge sent a letter to Cinquanta calling on the ISU to act with ``high urgency,'' and emphasized ``the need to take adequate action as quickly as possible.''

At a news conference, IOC director general Francois Carrard, speaking of the ISU, said ``our message is, act as quickly as possible. It is the IOC's experience that when you have controversy, you have to act fast.''

Rogge reportedly suggested to Cinquanta that the ice-dancing competition, scheduled to begin Friday, be delayed until the investigation of the pairs judging was complete. Cinquanta reportedly assured Rogge the event would be fairly judged, and should go on as scheduled.

At his heavily attended news conference Wednesday morning, Cinquanta said ``I can tell you I do not think to be in the presence of a scandal. It was a very tough competition with performances on the same line.

``Nevertheless, I can admit that we have started an assessment,'' and he added that the matter would be discussed at the 11-member ISU council's meeting next Monday.

That was not enough to assuage the Canadians, indignant from the moment the results were revealed. Marilyn Chidlow, president of Skate Canada, said it would lodge an official appeal of the results ``after becoming aware of certain allegations.''

The backdrop to the Pairs Affair is the credibility of figure skating, the most popular event on the Winter Games calendar, after the latest episode of alleged backroom dealing among judges.

``We not only want to keep this from happening ever again, we want to see the results changed,'' said Sally Rehorick, Canada's chief of mission and also a skating judge.

Cinquanta and Canadian officials carefully skirted the outlines of the allegations, which are thought to revolve around a vote-swapping scheme involving France and Russia, and the pairs and ice-dancing competitions. In return for French support of the Russian pair, Russia would support France's ice-dancing top duo during competition beginning Friday.

Cinquanta said he has spoken with the ``judge-slash-judges'' involved in the irregularities alleged by Pfenning, and said that ``judge-slash- judges'' have denied any wrongdoing.

``At the moment, I have an allegation, and I have a denial,'' Cinquanta said early Wednesday afternoon.

ISU regulations forbid judges or referees from commenting publicly on their decisions, further complicating attempts to find out what went on Monday night at the Delta Center.

Cinquanta said the ISU will resist an outside investigation and maintained it could get its own house in order if it takes up ``revisions'' to the judging formula he plans to introduce at next Monday's ISU council meeting.

Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Association, suggested an outside investigation, led by an international sports arbitrator, for example, would be good for skating because it would raise its credibility in the minds of the media and the public.

Chambers conceded Canada has no recourse if the ISU rejects its proposal of an independent investigation.

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Photo:

(color) RON PFENNING

The American referee was the first to allege judging improprieties in pairs skating.