Why this embrace between a Russian figure skater and a Russian judge is scandalous

On Thursday, Russia's Adelina Sotnikova shocked the figure skating world by winning a gold medal in the women's singles competition over heavily favored Yuna Kim of Korea. Instead of representing a celebration of the unexpected or a championing of the surprising, Sotnikova's win has been mired in controversy.

After all, this is figure skating.

In addition to using a judge who was previously suspended for a year after fixing the outcomes of the pairs ice dance in Nagano in 1998, the panel of officials scoring the women's free skate included Alla Shekhovtseva - the wife of Valentin Piseev, the longtime president and general director of the Russian Skating Federation.

Sotnikova - the gold medalist - and Shekhovtseva - the figure skating judge - were caught embracing by SBS television in South Korea, shortly after the skater's free program was judged to be the best of the competition.

The judge. And the figure skater. In an emotional embrace.

Understandably, the Korean Skating Union filed a protest of the women’s event with the International Skating Union on Saturday.

Screen grabs from SBS television were found here.

Read below for a full account of why figure skating is ... unlike any other sport.