Figure-skating scandal persists

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has demanded that the National Olympic Committee of France stage hearings of a report by Didier Gailhaguet, president of the national federation of ice sports, as regards a scandal connected with French figure skaters Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat. Such a session is to take place Tuesday, on August 13, according to France's national Olympic committee.

"French figure skating has fallen victim to unseemly scheming by the USA's Federal Bureau of Investigations," Gailhaguet said in Le Figaro's interview.

The Olympic figure skating gold was questioned after Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov was arrested in Italy on July 31 on charges by the FBI's New York division of bribing figure skating referees at the winter Olympics in Salt-Lake City.

According to the American side, this was done with a view to securing victory in dances for France's Anissina-Peizerat and in pairs for Russia's Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze. In exchange, Tokhtakhounov hoped, in the opinion of the FBI, to gain the French government's permit to enter France he was compelled to quit in October 2000.