There are very few dynasties in sports like Russian pairs figure skating. At the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Russian pair, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, were set to go head-to-head against Canadian favourites, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. Russia hadn’t lost the Olympic pairs’ gold since 1960. Canada hadn’t won the Olympic pairs’ gold since 1960. The long awaited competition between these two pairs, however, resulted in one of the biggest scandals in figure skating history. 

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Sources and further reading: 

Pairs Free Program - Figure Skating | Salt Lake City 2002 Replays: https://olympics.com/en/video/pairs-free-program-figure-skating-salt-lake-city-2002-replays 

Gold War, Bad Sport (Netflix): https://www.netflix.com/title/81084829 

2002 Olympics Jamie Sale crashing into Anton Sikharulidze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=926UKxoOzl8&ab_channel=hatula87 

Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze (RUS) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4S7c9s56A4&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Sale & Pelletier (CAN) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjY_LtNtVDc&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Sale & Pelletier interview to CBC post Free Skate 2002 Olympic Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10WQ-yrmjW8&ab_channel=PatinajeArtistico 

Medal Ceremony - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Skating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ438bOgENI&t=182s&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

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