Ice skating drops in popularity

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The decline in TV ratings for figure skating programs has called into question the future of the Switzerland-based sport when its TV deal expires in the spring.

Ice skating, which garnered ratings higher than many Super Bowls during the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, which featured the infamous Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan scandal, has since dropped in prominence to an unexpected low, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Some have attributed the drop in public interest to the sport's points-based scoring system, which is considered fairer to the skaters but far more difficult for TV audiences to understand than the formerly-used 6.0 system.

"I'm not going to lie," Olympic silver medal-winning ice dancer Ben Agosto said. "It's hard for us to figure out, too."

The system, developed as a reaction to the 2002 Salt Lake City judging scandal, awards points for various jumps and moves performed by skaters on the ice, a sharp contrast to the old system that allowed judges to choose their favorites with a rating of 6.0 or lower.