Judges of graceful sport,caught in clumsy cheating scandal

It might sound like a middle-school math test gone wrong,but it’s a fresh scandal in the Olympics world,implicating as many as 60 experts involved in,of all things,rhythmic gymnastics. The suspected cheats included test takers looking to qualify as official judges as well as their exam proctors.

Rhythmic gymnastics is a much-maligned competition that every four years tends to elicit the same reaction from American viewers —That’s a sport? —as they watch pint-size women swirl acrobatically with hoops and ribbons. With its sparkles and hair scrunchies,rhythmic,as it is called by its followers,can look more like modern dance-meets-small-town circus than a traditional Olympic competition.

The suspected cheating occurred late last year in testing rooms across Europe,where test takers looked to qualify for elite competition like the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. The International Gymnastics Federation,(F.I.G),spent months investigating the episode.

Documents showed that in Bucharest,Romania,test takers clearly copied answers from one anothers’ papers,including the mistakes. In Moscow,114 answers were changed on dozens of tests; in Alicante,Spain,257 answers were changed. The exam sheets themselves served as evidence of the suspected cheating — crude markups,blatant copying,unexplained bonus points – that proved as clumsy as a botched rhythmic routine.

One test clearly had been touched by more than one person — it was filled with at least two different handwriting styles,the report said. Judging scandals have upended high-profile sports like figure skating and gymnastics before,but this possible cheating episode serves as a reminder that even in the confines of obscure sports,the competition is every bit as cutthroat.

The fallout has been swift,with one top Olympic official already expelled and six others suspended.Dozens of judges who took the tests have been implicated and questioned by F.I.G. investigators.

A job judging at the Olympics and other elite competitions is a coveted perch. As the rhythmic gymnasts compete to see who can twist their limbs into the most elaborate pretzel – while climbing through a hoop – so too do the judges contort in their own ways.

cronyism rife

Earlier this year,Eric Moers,a long-time judge who did not take the tests,started a petition calling to “ban unfair judging and corruption from our beloved sport.” He describes the world of rhythmic gymnastics as one as rife with cronyism as it is with colorful sequins. The sanctions,which were made public last week,have in some ways validated his claims.

Investigators found that Maria Szyszkowska of Poland,the former president of the governing body’s rhythmic gymnastics technical committee,interfered with the computer program that calculated the scores. As a result,Mrs. Szyszkowska was stripped of her membership and prohibited from “any form of participation in all F.I.G. events and activities.”

Some athletes said the sanctions were a much-needed step toward changing the culture of judging in the sport. “Judging issues in rhythmic gymnastics are almost as prolific as doping issues in cycling,” said Janine Murray of Australia,a rhythmic gymnast who competed in the 2012 Olympics and recently retired.

Some judges who took the tests,dismissed the identical scores as a coincidence. “Judges with much experience have the same mentality,” Daniela Delle Chiaie,a judge from Italy who was suspended,told F.I.G. investigators. “There is tradition,and they give the same mark,even if it seem impossible.”

The suspected cheating episode is not the first scandal to hit the sport. After the European Championships in Zaragoza in 2000,the governing body suspended six judges for discriminating against a Ukrainian gymnast.

But the F.I.G. is determined to address the recent episode and move forward. The six members of the technical committee who were suspended will not be allowed to oversee judges at any competition.

As for the tests,they will be offered again,this time in Frankfurt. Senior rhythmic gymnastics officials will be on hand to ensure that the tests “are conducted in due and proper fashion.” —NYT