Did Joannie Rochette of Canada Win The Bronze Medal Due To Nationalism, Racism, Pity, & Politics?

Yu-Na Kim of South Korea earned her gold medal. Her free skate was excellent, flawless, and wonderful. Kim is the Olympic champion, and the judges got that result right.

However, some critics on the Internet are suggesting that the judges are racists and they did not want an Asian female sweep of the Olympic medals in figure skating. I agree with this cogent assessment.

Since Joannie Rochette is a white Canadian woman, the judges made sure a white female slipped into third place to prevent an Asian sweep.

Can you imagine the faces of the white Canadian public if Kim, Mao Asada, and Miki Ando won all the Olympic medals in figure skating?

Does anyone  honestly think the white figure skating judges would allow Asian women to sweep the  medals? Can you imagine the outcry?

There is a subversive issue of racism here that needs to be explored. Black feminist bell hooks reminds us in her incendiary work  that “race matters”, and in women’s figure skating, “racism” was on full display last night.

It is obvious that the white women are not dominating  women’s figure skating anymore. The Asian women have taken over.

The Japanese women and the Korean woman, Kim, are the best female skaters in the world. They have the artistry, jumps, athleticism, and spins.

However,  the silver medallist Asada and Rochette did not skate perfectly. American Mirai Nagasu’s free skate was excellent. The  judges decided her skate was fourth best. Is this really fair? How can the general public take figure skating seriously when politics influences skating results?

Ando was robbed! She is the sexiest woman in figure skating, and she was treated very harshly by these judges.

I thought Ando of Japan deserved the silver medal. I saw her short program and I was shocked at the low marks she received. I also watched Ando’s free skate and she was excellent, yet she ends up in fifth place. Give me a break!

Ando is a graceful, talented, and beautiful skater, yet due to politics she was knocked off of the podium. I know very few people will defend Ando, but I feel I have to.

If  Rochette had skated a clean long program with no errors, then there would be nothing to dispute. But Rochette’s free skate was terrible; she was very sloppy, and her skating was not refined.

I think there are a couple of reasons why Rochette won the bronze medal.

First, obvious reason is that because Rochette’s mother died a few days ago, this clearly influenced the decision of the judges. Rochette won her medal due to pity and politics and that’s disgusting!

Secondly, Rochette won the bronze medal because the Winter Olympic Games are  in Canada. Rochette had an advantage over the other skaters because she is Canadian. To deny this would be lying.

The politics of nationalism are an important theme to the Rochette controversy. Rochette also played with the emotions of the Canadian public; she wanted the public to have sympathy and empathy for her.

Let’s be honest here. How do you criticize a young woman when her mother just died a few days ago? Maybe, Rochette’s dead mother deserves some credit for allowing her daughter to win a medal as well.

How can the Canadian media be objective without appearing insensitive?

Rochette’s sob story was perfect; she was in the right place at the right time.

The Canadian media don’t care about Rochette. All they care about is that Rochette won a medal to add to Canada’s medal count.

Canada has changed, and the aggressive attitude of the hostile Canadian media is just perfidious.

The truth is that when the Olympic Games take place in the home country of an athlete, this can sometimes have an influence on the figure-skating judges.

The Canadian crowd, of course, was on Rochette’s side. If the judges had not given Rochette a medal, the Canadian people would have been furious.

Is this what sport is about–feeling sorry for an athlete because of tragic circumstances?

Figure skating is a problematic sport because it is subjective. The results are based on other people’s opinions about a skater.

Thirdly, Rochette turned on the water works right after her short program.   A figure skater’s reaction after a performance is very important, and this can influence the judges.

After the short program, Rochette’s  tears worked to her advantage. Rochette wanted the judges to feel her pain and this obviously influenced the biased judging results.

Yes, it is very tragic that Rochette’s mother died, but this is the Winter Olympics. Rochette’s sad story was the feel-good sob story, and the television networks utilized this to garner television ratings.

Rochette’s tragedy allowed her to win the bronze medal. I believe it is very sad that Rochette’s mother is dead. However, I believe it is abhorrent that Ando and Nagasu were robbed!

Can  anyone imagine what would have happened if Rochette did not win a medal? I felt nauseated as the media  reiterated that Rochette’s mother died a million times during the CTV and NBC television broadcasts.

Yes, Rochette’s mother is dead, but figure skating is a sport. All the female figure skaters work hard, and they train for years for Olympic glory.

The Canadian media would be screaming at the top of their lungs if Rochette did not win a medal. The Canadian press should be screaming that Rochette won a bronze medal due to pity and politics.

Rochette did not earn this medal. This is a gross injustice and it discredits the sport of figure skating!

For example, after the short program both Rochette and Ando skated their programs and I thought Ando’s program was superior. Meanwhile, the judges give Rochette 71.36 points and Ando was well behind her with 64.76 points.

Ando’s face after the short program was priceless. She was shocked and she had every right to feel humiliated. Of course, Ando cannot criticize Rochette in the media because the press would rip her to shreds.

The bias for Rochette is pernicious and deleterious, and it is not fair to the other skaters.

The results of the competition just prove once again that opinions are more important than the facts in figure skating. Rochette utilized her tragedy to her  advantage and it is pathetic that the judges could not see through this.