2010 Olympic Ice Dancing Preview

Ice Dancing has only been an Olympic sport since 1976 and is still fighting for legitimate recognition. The difference between pairs Ice Dancing and pairs Figure Skating is the emphasis on the skater's gracefulness on the ice, and how they move with the music, much as ballroom dancing is judged. They must be in contact most of the time, being judged on the quality of the steps they execute and how they move to the music. There is no jumping and very little lifting. There are three ice dance competitions, compulsory, original and free, whose scores are combined.

The subjectivity of the ice dancing scoring system opens the door to outside factors affecting the scores. US skater Charlie White said, "The possibility of that happening is very real," he said. "There's a lot of human subjectivity. That is something you can't control, you can only control what you do on the ice." A voting scandal erupted at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, when the Canadians, who skated a flawless program, were awarded silver, while the Russians, who made technical errors, were awarded the gold. It was learned that a French judge had been pressured to favor the Russians. Two sets of gold medals were subsequently awarded. This scandal led to an overhaul of the sport and a new scoring system. Here are some skaters to watch:

Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin: The 2010 Olympics has a tempest simmering over the Aboriginal-themed original dance of Russian reigning world champions, which Australia considers disrespectful. Strong in the compulsory dance and favorited to win, they claim their purpose was to honor the culture, to show how dance was performed 1,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. Their costumes consist red of loincloths, body paint and eucalyptus leaves.

US skaters Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Olympic silver medallists, first place winners at Skate America and the Cup of China, and second place at the US Championships, think that, between the Americans and the Canadians, a North American sweep of the medals is achievable. "We definitely have the talent. It's going to be such a strong ice dance event," said Agosto.

US champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White are strong contenders for a medal. They took the Russian Cup and NHK Trophy in Japan, and the Grand Prix. They will be performing their previously highly-scored "Bollywood" original dance. (Bollywood is the name given to the Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India.)

Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, could also make the podium. The Free Dance is their strength and they are attempting to become just the second Canadian ice dancing team to win a medal since 1988, when Canada took the bronze.

France's former world champions Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder are coming back from injuries last season, and a pregnancy this season. Other skaters to watch are Russia's Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski and Italy's Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali.

Finally, 15-year-old olympic skaterAllison Reed, an American with dual Japanese citizenship, will skate for the Georgian Republic, against her brother and sister, Chris Reed, 20, and Cathy Reed, 22, who are skating for Japan. With an American father from Michigan and a Japanese mother, Chris and Cathy qualify to skate for Japan due to their dual citizenship. Allison competes with Georgian skater Otar Japaridze and became a Georgian citizen in time to compete in Vancouver. The family lived around the globe for years, until finally moving back to the United States. They claim this does not lead to sibling rivalry.

Sources: Olympic News; Topendsports; Olympic News: Siblings compete