Athens - Booing spectators halted the Olympic horizontal bar final for nearly 10 minutes here on Monday, expressing their frustration at what turned into the latest of several Games gymnastics judging controversies.
In a surreal scene unlike anything gymnastics veterans had ever encountered, jeers and whistles of disgust cascaded upon judges after 2000 Olympic bar champion Alexei Nemov of Russia got a 9.725, putting him third after three men.
As Olympic all-around champion Paul Hamm waited to follow, boos continued. Officials pleaded for silence with no avail and finally judges Teh Kin Kin of Malaysia and Chris Grabowecky of Canada changed scores so Nemov had a 9.762.
Nemov was still last. The crowd was still upset. The noise continued.
The Russian rose to quiet the crowd with little effect. Only when American Hamm approached the bar and began did the roar dwindle to a murmur. When Hamm received a 9.812 to grab the lead, the boos returned.
"I was trying to block it out and get into a zone," Hamm said. "It shows our sport is a subjective sport. People are going to have different opinions."
More jeers followed when Italy's Igor Cassina was given the same score but ranked ahead of Hamm on tie-breakers. Cassina won with Hamm second. Nemov finished fifth.
"My opinion, a bit not fair," Nemov said. "I think bronze medal I must admit."
Asked if he felt marked down on purpose, Nemov said, "Maybe a little bit."
Judges in the event were new after the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) suspended three bar judges in the wake of a scoring error that cost South Korean Yang Tae-Young the all-around crown that Hamm won last week.
Yang, also in the bar final, finished 10th and last at 8.675 after a fall.
Bar judges in last week's all-around final incorrectly reduced the start value of Yang's routine from 10 to 9.9. Based upon the proper mark, the South Korean's score would have given him the gold medal instead of the bronze.
FIG officials ruled the judges were in error but that judges scores could not be protested and Hamm's victory would stand, causing a firestorm demand for a switch or a duplicate gold to be given.
"I haven't heard anything from any governing body about awarding a second gold medal. In my heart I feel I'm the champion," Hamm said.
"I will abide by any decision FIG makes. If they decide to award a second gold I'll abide by that. If they strip me of a medal, I will abide by that."
