How FIG scoring adjustments affect medal placementfficeffice" />>>

By Fred Turoff

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It amazes me that, in an age of computers and electronic scoring systems, the FIG has insisted in rounding off average scores that exceed three decimal places downward rather than keep the fourth place. For example, if the scores for a performance average 9.6875, the FIG says it is 9.687. This procedure came about when the FIG began using 6 judges and averaged the middle four to arrive at a final score. Three incidents of incorrect placement come to mind that show the flaw in this system.

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In 1991, Vitaly Scherbo placed 2^nd on vault at theWorld Championships with a two-vault total of 19.399. The victor, Ok Youl You of South Korea, totaled 19.400. The averages of each performer's two vaults were: for Vitaly, 9.687 and 9.712, for Ok, 9.700 and 9.700. But Scherbo's true averages were 9.6875 and 9.7125, which add up to 19.400. However, since the FIG system insists on rounding down, Scherbo placed 2^nd rather than tying for first.

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In 1999, Blaine Wilson placed 4^th all-around to Jordan Jovchev at the World Championships. Blaine's a-a total was 57.211, while Jordan's was 57.212. Looking at the individual scores that each earned, we see several cases of rounding down:

Jordan - 9.712, 9.600, 9.600, 9.450, 9.350, 9.500 = 57.212

Blaine - 9.600, 9,487, 9.325, 9.687, 9.612, 9.500 = 57.211

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Were the scores not rounded down, they would be:

Jordan - 9.7125, 9.6000, 9.6000, 9.4500, 9.3500, 9.5000 = 57.2125

Blaine - 9.6000, 9.4875, 9.3250, 9.6875, 9.6125, 9.5000 = 57.2125

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Most recently, Chelsie Memmel won the 2005 World all-around title over Nastia Liukin by .001. If one considers the scores added together to get each a-a-total, we again see where rounding-down breaks the tie:

Chelsie - 9.325, 9.537, 9.425, 9.537 = 37.824

Nastia -    9.137, 9.587, 9.587, 9.512 = 37.823

If rounding down were not used, they would have tied for the all-around title:

Chelsie - 9.3250, 9.5375, 9.4250, 9.5375 = 37.8250

Nastia -    9.1375, 9.5875, 9.5875, 9.5125 = 37.8250

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The point of this is that several athletes have been denied rightful placement in the mentioned competitions because of an FIG policy that could be easily corrected. Why the arbitrary policy of rounding-down was adopted, I don't know. But it has affected several athletes unfairly.