One of Canada's most experienced figure skating judges has shocked his Canadian peers by taking out Azerbaijani citizenship, two years before the Vancouver Olympics.
Jack Greenwood, who has judged two Olympic Games and many world championships for Canada, recently became an Azerbaijani citizen, just in time to meet the April 1 deadline for federations to nominate the judges they wish to do competitions next season.
Last week, Greenwood showed up at the world championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, with an accreditation as an Azerbaijan chaperone, a weak level of accreditation that is meant to allow parents into the rinks.
He said he paid his own way to Sweden. And he said he doesn't have a relationship with any of the Azerbaijan skaters.
"I don't understand,'' said one Canadian judge of Greenwood's switch. "How could he do it? I'm a Canadian. I couldn't do it. I just want to know why? I can't phone him. I wouldn't know what to say to him.''
"Holy cow,'' said an American judge. "It's like going to the dark side.''
On hearing the news, another Canadian judge laughed hysterically across the phone.
"We didn't know anything about this,'' said William Thompson, chief executive officer for Skate Canada.
Thompson said Greenwood informed Skate Canada president Benoit Lavoie a couple of days before the world championships began in Sweden in mid-March. Thompson didn't hear about it until he was en route to Gothenburg, Sweden.
He became concerned on hearing speculation that Skate Canada was behind Greenwood's move, in order to get help from a second judge with Canadian sympathies on a panel, especially in the next critical year or two in the lead up to the 2010 Games.
"There's no way in hell we'd do that,'' Thompson said. "Absolutely not. That's not our style at all to try to do something like that. We didn't know. He informed us. He didn't ask for our permission, or whether we agreed or disagreed.''
Greenwood, reached at home, also found the speculation amusing. "That's unfortunate, because that certainly wasn't a consideration at all,'' he said.
Last week, Jeff Buttle won the world championship without a Canadian judge on either the short or the long program panel. It is usually considered more of a necessity for ice dancing.
Greenwood said he was approached before Christmas by the Azerbaijan federation. It hasn't taken long to gain citizenship. Azerbaijani skater, Kristin Fraser, who is actually from California and who has never been to Azerbaijan in her life, gained Azerbaijani citizenship in four months to allow her to skate with Igor Lukanin several years ago.
Azerbaijan isn't exactly a hotbed of figure skating. Fraser and Lukanin train in the United States. It's not a safe country for tourists, with civil unrest and advice like the following: Don't drink tap water. Don't use old medical clinics from the former Soviet era. Don't walk alone at night. Avoid long-distance travel by train. Avoid domestic airlines, where safety checks are a rarity, people stand in the aisles, and seatbelts are missing. Avoid highway driving, which is dangerous because of poor driving standards and other problems. And whatever you do, don't let on you have any money at all.
It's also the country for which Russian Irina Nechkina worked as a judge. Just after she arrived at the Turin Olympics, the International Skating Union demoted her from judging championship events because she'd had four assessments for bias or serious errors over a four-year span. With a four-year penalty, it'll be touch and go whether she can judge again at the Vancouver Olympics.
Greenwood said he did not plan to live in Azerbaijan. Asked if he planned to visit the country, he said: "You never know.''
The coach of the Azerbaijani dance team is Nikolai Morozov, who used to compete for Belarus, but now coaches in the United States. Greenwood used to invite Morozov to conduct seminars at camps for Skate Ontario when he was president. And he attended Morozov's wedding to Shae-Lynn Bourne several years ago.
Greenwood said there is absolutely no intrigue behind his decision to adopt a new homeland.
"I've had a career that most judges haven't had in Canada,'' he said. "...Frankly in Canada, we have a lot of judges and it's somebody else's chance to have these experiences, too. I can't expect to be assigned to all of the biggest events forever. I've had more than my share of assignments in Canada. When this opportunity came my way, it generated a challenge for me.''
Greenwood has been retired for six years. He said the work will keep him busy.
Several years ago, under the Skate Canada regime of Pam Coburn, Greenwood was Canada's most travelled judge, reaching the Air Canada Super Elite level (the top one) several times. That meant he travelled at least 100,000 air miles a year, going to competitions. He also served on the officials' assessment committee for the ISU, examining the work of other judges.
Other judges joked about his travel itinerary so much that when British official Chris Buchanan began to appear at a lot of events also, they dubbed him "Jack No. 2.''
Since the Skate Canada regime changed, and William Thompson took control, Greenwood's assignments have quickly dried up. He said the last major international event at which he served for Canada was the Junior Grand Prix Final last year.
Greenwood said the change had little to do with Thompson's leadership. "I think it has more to do with Canada gearing up for the next Olympic Games, and getting their house in order,'' he said. "I'm grateful to Skate Canada for those opportunities that I had.''
In a nutshell, Greenwood said he just wanted to continue to officiate at a high level internationally and Azerbaijan has given him the chance.
He says he has no idea how others see his move. "That really didn't enter into it,'' he said.
But they are shocked.
"It was a bit of a surprise, frankly,'' Thompson said. "Personally, I don't understand it at all. I think when you've had a complete career, in Canada, I don't know why you'd want to go to another country. I truly don't understand it.
"I just thought it was an odd decision. I can't imagine that it's going to be very well respected by other judges, internationally.''
Thompson said his only Olympics was in Turin, and he knew being at one was all he could ever expect.
The judges who worked the 2002 and 2006 Olympics are less busy now, he said, while Skate Canada tries to cycle in a new group of judges who haven't had the chance to do it. "That's normal for us,'' he said. "We need to encourage them. People are so busy now, it's hard to keep them in."
While Canada doesn't have fewer judges than it used to, Thompson said it's difficult to attract judges at the lower levels. It's not easy to recruit judges now because many are opting to be technical controllers or specialists, who can be on a world panel in two years. It sometimes takes 15 or 20 years for a judge to get to do an Olympics.
Greenwood says he does not know if the ISU will accept his nomination as an Azerbaijan judge. And he doesn't know if he will be drawn onto a world panel. "There's no guarantee,'' he said. "I take my chances, like any other, in that regard.''
11
