There was immediate suspicion of cheating, according to ABC's
Good Morning America and
USA Today. Judges from Russia, the
People's Republic of China,
Poland,
Ukraine, and France had placed the Russians first; judges from the United States, Canada, Germany, and Japan chose the Canadians. Suspicion fell quickly on the French judge,
Marie-Reine Le Gougne.
When Le Gougne returned to the officials' hotel,
Sally Stapleford, chair of the
International Skating Union's Technical Committee, confronted her. Le Gougne had an emotional breakdown in which she allegedly said that she had been pressured by the head of the French skating organization,
Didier Gailhaguet, to vote for the Russian pair regardless of how the others performed.
[6] She reportedly repeated this at the post-event judges' meeting the next day.
[6] It was alleged that this was part of a deal to get an advantage for French couple
Marina Anissina and
Gwendal Peizerat in the ice dance competition that was to follow a few days later. However, in a later signed statement Le Gougne denied taking part in such a deal and also stated that she had truly believed the Russian pair deserved to win.