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The documentary series Bad Sports revisits the figure skating controversy at the 2002 Winter Olympics, featuring Canadian duo Salé-Pelletier.
In his new series “Bad Sport” borrowed “Matchs Fixes”, Netflix brings viewers back to the controversy over the 2002 Winter Olympics when figure skaters David Pelletier and Jamie Salé took home the silver after a flawless performance.
Nearly 20 years ago, Canadian duo Jimmy Sala and Sayabecoa David Pelletier thrilled audiences after giving an impressive performance in Salt Lake City. With a smile on his face, a proud look, you can read the satisfaction on the faces of the Canadian skaters. However, once the result was revealed, joy gave way to panic. The judges gave the best marks to the Russian athletes, Elena Brzhnasha and Anton Sikharulidze, despite some glaring technical errors. Then the scandal broke out in the days after the events of 2002.
The documentary series “Matchs Truqués” dedicates its fourth episode to the Salé-Pelletier series that, despite its existence, has marred the elegance of figure skating. Over the course of the episode, many information has been revealed indicating that corruption hangs over this jury’s decision. The documentaries tell us that French judge Marie-Ren Legoon admitted that she was pressured to vote for the Russians. The president of the French Ice Sports Federation, Didier Gilhag, will also participate, as text of the investigation. However, the French judge retracted her statement, saying that the Russians simply offered the best performance. The producers of the series approach this saga from a political angle by linking the possible involvement of a Russian gangster in this case.
At the end of the investigation, a gold medal was finally awarded to the Salé-Pelletier couple, just in time to calm the media storm. So two gold medals were awarded. It was the first in the history of the Olympic Games. The Russian clan always denies potential hoaxes at the heart of this saga. During the interview throughout the episode, the Olympic gold medalist from Sayapek didn’t utter his words when he spoke about the sometimes mysterious underside of the sports world.
“Sports are teeming with spoilers, in the West as elsewhere, it’s a political game,” said the former athlete who became a skate coach, especially in the National Hockey League. From Olympic gold medalist to Stars on Ice star, David Pelletier now takes on the role of “power skating coach” within the Edmondton Oilers.
© Photo Archive – l’Avant-Poste
David Pelletier works with Edmundton Oilers.