By NANCY ARMOUR

AP Sports Writer

The Canadian figure skating federation supports a radical overhaul of the judging system, saying "the job of the judges has become too powerful in determining the results of the competitions."

Skate Canada has joined the U.S. federation in calling for a lifetime ban on anyone found guilty of misconduct. It also recommended that presidents of national federations not serve on the International Skating Union council or any of its committees.

"The interests of the athletes must drive decision making in the sport," Skate Canada said. "Sport does not exist to further the political or other personal ambitions of non-athletes."

While back-room deals have been rumored for years, skating was humiliated by judging improprieties in the pairs event in Salt Lake City.

Russia's Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze initially won the gold medal, but the International Olympic Committee awarded duplicate gold medals to Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier after French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne said she was pressured "to vote a certain way." She later recanted her accusation.

The ISU suspended Le Gougne for three years last month, and barred her from judging at the 2006 Olympics. French federation president Didier Gailhaguet, accused of pressuring Le Gougne, got the same punishment.

In hopes of avoiding similar scandals in the future, the ISU will consider several reform proposals next month at its congress in Kyoto, Japan. One, from ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta, would replace the current 6.0 scale with a points system where elements are graded based on their difficulty.

It's a radical change, but Skate Canada said it could help restore the sport's legitimacy.

"The application of majority rule is flawed regardless of the purity of the principles upon which it is built," Skate Canada said of the current system.

Critics have said Cinquanta's proposal will turn the sport into a X-games jumping contest, with cool tricks rewarded more than pretty skating. But Skate Canada said that can be avoided if the current aspects of a good, well-balanced program - things such as use of the ice surface and harmony with music - get equal weight in the points system.

Cinquanta's proposal also calls for the judging panel to be expanded from nine to 14, with only seven, randomly selected scores counting. Even then, Skate Canada said panels must be balanced, so no one geographic or cultural area dominates.

The ISU also needs to create a committee whose sole responsibility is to monitor and evaluate officials' conduct, Skate Canada said.

"It is time in our sport that we recognize that the job of the judges has become too powerful in determining the results of the competitions, and that the work of the skaters ... is not the most important consideration in the end result," Skate Canada said.

"While it is true that there will always be differences of opinion in judging, the effect of those differences must be minimized if the sport is ever to regain the confidence of the public."

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