Free Program Will Decide Medal Winners

The beauty and elegance of the event is usually the story line in ice dancing, where the third of three programs, the free program, will be contested tonight and medals will be decided. But this time around, as many eyes may be on the judges as the skaters, in the aftermath of the controversy over the pairs competition and the eventual sharing of gold medals by teams from Russia and Canada.

The favorites are the French couple, Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat, and the Italian couple, Barbara Fusah Poli and Maurizio Margaglio. The Italians were the 2001 world champions.