COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) The U.S. Olympic Committee asked the International Olympic Committee to look into possible judging improprieties in the taekwondo competition at the 2000 Sydney Games.

USOC president Marty Mankamyer said on Monday that she faxed a letter last week to IOC president Jacques Rogge alerting him to a story that appeared in a Korean-language magazine containing allegations about the judging.

Mankamyer said the letter didn't demand an investigation of judging, but instead asked "whatever action is appropriate be taken."

"With all the press about the figure skating we thought it was appropriate to be consistent," said Mankamyer, who hasn't received a response from Rogge.

The USOC request was first reported by USA Today.

The biggest judging scandal in Olympics history occurred earlier this year at the Salt Lake City Games in an alleged vote-swapping deal between figure skating judges.

Russian skaters Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the Olympic pairs competition, then had to share that title with a Canadian pair.

Mankamyer said the article alleged "that the taekwondo judging could have been impacted by outside sources." She didn't know whether an IOC investigation had begun.

The story appeared in an April issue of Shindonga magazine, and excerpts have apparently been circulating among U.S. taekwondo officials for nearly two months, USA Today reported in its Tuesday edition.

Korean athletes won four of the 24 medals awarded in taekwondo at the Sydney Olympics, including three golds and a silver. It was the first time that taekwondo was an Olympic medal sport.

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