Boikova and Kozlovskii: “There’s always been a practice that domestic judging is more lenient toward home athletes. That’s normal and correct. Giving lower scores on domestic level could worsen our international presentation.”
The 2020 European pair skating champions, Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii, shared their thoughts on judging at domestic Russian competitions.
original source: Okko
European champions Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii discuss the impact of strict judging at Russian domestic competitions, warning it could harm their international competitiveness and presentation. Here’s a translation.
Aleksandra Boikova: We watch international competitions and see that the judging there is much more lenient. When I fill out the content sheet for our competitions, I open my printout from international events to check if I remember the element names correctly, and I see that the GOE for elements was always much higher there. It seems this trend affects everyone in Russia, but I don’t yet understand what impact it will have when we’re allowed back on the international stage.
Dmitrii Kozlovskii: Judging shouldn’t be either strict or lenient. It should be objective. In my view, the policy of enforcing strict judging leads away from objectivity. We need to understand that when we return to the international stage, we’ll get the scores we get. I think giving lower scores here could worsen our international presentation.
There’s always been a practice that domestic judging is more lenient toward home athletes. That’s normal and correct. I think the goal of being stricter with technical elements is the right approach, but it should be based on fairness and honesty. There’s a rule, which I believe is even written in the communiqué: in disputed cases, the decision should be made in favor of the athlete.
But when it comes to elements that are fully executed at the required level, I don’t see any reason to deduct points when the element meets the requirements and is performed at the highest level.
As for the second mark (program components), I think we should foster an attitude that we understand the value of our athletes, and that despite our suspension, we remain highly competitive. To accept lower scores before even stepping on the ice is not the right position to take.”
Related topics: Alexandra Boikova Dmitri Kozlovski
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