For the Pairs competition I put here only a screenshot of the national bias of the judges. I haven’t watched the protocol, in truth I haven’t watched the whole competition, with two daughter that are doing schol at home because of the closing of the schools in Italy, I can’t use the computer always.

Vera Tauchmanova was the Technical Controller, the others are Judges.

I watch only few elements in the Ladies competition, I don’t have time for all, but I would like that the judges learn something from their mistakes and judge the other programs fairly.

Anna Shcherbakova, step sequence:

Which are the bullets and the deductions? The ISU’s document is longer, I watch only the parts about the step sequence.

Shcherbakova is a wonderful skater (at least if I don’t watch the take-off of her jumps). If she skate well, she can deserves all the bullets. Not today. Today she stumbled, her step sequence wasn’t effortless. Without bullet 3, at best she can earn a +3. After the bullets, there are the deductions. A stumble deserves from -1 to -3. If a judge is kind with her, he can give a +2 as the final GOE. Over a +2, is a violation of the rules.

All the marks are wrong. One would say that it is inconceivable, it is something that has never been seen… unfortunately we’ve already seen the same mistake. In the 2019 Grand Prix Final Nathan Chen stumbled during the choreo sequence, and the judges give to him only +4 and +5. I’ve written about this mistake (in Italian) here: https://sportlandiamartina.link/2020/07/30/la-sequenza-coreografica/.

Some other marks are interesting. Perhaps not so striking as the mistake in the step sequence, but a little variation here, a little variation there… Usually the components are the side of the score in which the judges are the most creative. I’ve watched only the marks for five skaters given by the Russian judge, Elena Fomina (in red in my screenshot) and the American judge, Peggy Graham (in purple). This is SkatingScores:

They’ve watched the same competition? At Rika Kihira’s combination judge 4, the French Elisabeth Louesdon, has given a -2, judge 7, the Swedish Katharina Henriksonn, has given a +2, a really big difference. I remember that, according to Alexander Lakernik, vice president of the ISU, a difference so big deserves discussion. I’ve quoted Lakernik’s words (a lot down on the page, under a Gabriella Izzo’s protocol) here: https://sportlandiamartina.link/2021/03/16/the-isu-judging-system-the-past-and-the-olympic-games/.

All the protocol should be watched very close, Peggy Graham has given an interesting mark to Haein Lee. The Lutz of the combination of the Korean skater has an unclear edge, the toe loop was on the q.

So, starting from +3 (I’m always kind with the skaters), -1 for the ! and -2 for the q for me means at best 0. Maths isn’t an opinion, right?

I would like to watch more, but I don’t have time. Tomorrow is another day…