Skating Union Gives Files to U.S. Attorney

The International Skating Union said Tuesday it has given the U.S. Attorney in New York its complete files relating to its inquiry into the pairs figure skating controversy at the Salt Lake City Olympics.

The documents became relevant when U.S. officials charged reputed Russian mobster Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov July 31 with trying to fix the outcome of the pairs and ice dance competitions at the Games. As a result of the ISU inquiry, which was limited to the pairs event, French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne and French ice sports federation head Didier Gailhaguet were each suspended for three years and banned from the 2006 Olympics.

“Although the name Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov is not mentioned in the hundreds of pages of documents and testimony, the U.S. investigators may find the information to be of interest,” ISU President Ottavio Cinquanta and General Secretary Fredi Schmid said in a statement.

U.S. and Italian authorities say Tokhtakhunov arranged a vote-swapping deal to help Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze win the pairs gold medal and French skaters Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat win the ice dance title. Le Gougne’s attorney, Max Miller of Salt Lake City, reiterated that his client doesn’t know Tokhtakhunov and knows nothing about an alleged fix. He also repeated his contention the ISU’s investigation of Le Gougne was unfair because it did not interview any Russian officials or judges.

The ISU also said it asked all 73 of its national member federations to cooperate with U.S. and Italian investigations of Tokhtakhunov. U.S. Figure Skating Assn. spokesman Bob Dunlop said the U.S. group will send a letter to its officials making the same point.