The ISU Council has unanimously decided to propose a "New Judging System" for Figure Skating, Ice Dancing and Synchronized Skating to the ISU Congress meeting in Kyoto (JPN, June 3-7, 2002

This initiative of the ISU Council recognizes the urgent need for changes to the existing system for selection of Judges and the determination of results. At present, the Rules provide that only ISU Figure Skating Members may name Judges for annual listing by the ISU. Historically, virtually all technically qualified nominees have been included in the ISU lists of Judges. The Panels of Judges for competitions are drawn only from these lists. In the future Members would continue to provide Judges but not decide which Judges would officiate.

A group of highly skilled skating and technical experts have refined the concept of the "New Judging System", first proposed by President Cinquanta to the ISU Council on February 8, 2002 in Salt Lake City.

Some of the key objectives of the "New Judging System" are: (1) to limit the possibilities of "block judging"; (2) to negate the opportunity for improper influences on, or control of, the Judges by the Members or others; and (3) to score all technical performance elements of the skaters' presentations with cumulative points, rather than deducting for mistakes. The "New Judging System", once ready, would be applied first at ISU Championships and later at the Olympic Winter Games.

Under the new system the Referees/Judging panel of 16 will be composed of 8 Judges randomly drawn from among Member nominees (with certain regional controls to avoid disproportionate representation of any region), and 8 Judges randomly drawn from a separate group composed by the Technical Committee for the respective discipline, and the ISU President. Judges from the panel of 16 so determined, a Referee and an Assistant Referee would be randomly drawn. From the remaining 14, a computer program would randomly select the 7 Judges whose votes will be tabulated to determine the results of each competitor, pair or couple for the entire event being skated. None of the Judges, or any one else for that matter, will know which 7 of the 14 Judges are registering the scores "that count"!

Each of the 14 Judges on the panel will judge the event using the Instant Video Replay and a new computerized and simplified marking system, which will no longer deduct points but will use cumulative point values for technical elements (Technical Mark). A Presentation Mark will also be given by each Judge to reflect the skating ability displayed and the artistic value of the program performed. The Technical Mark and Presentation Mark together will comprise the Total Score expressed as a number. The higher the number, the higher the score.

To ensure accountability, the marks of all 14 Judges and the Referees will be sealed until the end of the season in April or May of each year when they will be analyzed by computer. Anomalies (if any) would be considered by an appointed group of ISU Office Holders and recommended for appropriate action.

Other Member Federations from Australia, Canada and USA have also submitted their own proposals for New Judging Systems to the ISU. All proposals aimed at reforming the Judging System will be presented to the Congress as urgent proposals, which according to ISU Regulations, must be accepted by a 4/5th majority vote to be placed on the Agenda of the Congress. If added to the Agenda, the "New Judging Systems" will be debated in the Congress, and the Member delegates will make a recommendation for the new system to be proposed. The new system will need a 2/3rd majority vote of all the Members attending the Congress to become part of the ISU Regulations.

Proposals for New Judging Systems are listed in ISU Communication 1160 which contains all urgent matters to be submitted at the Congress. ISU Communication 1160 is available on ww2.isu.org or can be obtained directly from the ISU Secretariat in Lausanne, Switzerland.

For further information please contact:

Aline Bussat Ingwersen, 		
ISU Media Coordinator			

Tel:  +41 21 612 6666			 
Fax:  +41 21 612 6677			    
E-mail: bussat@isu.ch					

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