For the first time at an ISU event, judges' nationalities are being kept secret, replaced with an ISU designation under their names and number when marks are flashed on the arena scoreboard and television.

ISU president and International Olympic Committee member Ottavio Cinquanta defended the decision taken at a Congress last year but gave into journalists' demands that the information be made easily available to them for the final two days of the championships.

"In the past we got some criticism that showing the country of judges could generate an emotional reaction and speculation," said Cinquanto. "This was considered by the Congress not to be good for the sport.

"You know the judges, you know their names, so it was considered not important to put next to their names or numbers the country of the judge.

"The nationality of judges is not considered an essential element to be exposed on television or the arena. It's not secret but it was not needed to know the nationality of judges. We do not hide."

He added: "For the benefit of the media we will distribute the judge's names with the names of their country but we will not expose the nationality on the board."

Despite determined efforts to clean up the sport and make the scoring system more transparent, figure skating judging has remained under a cloud of suspicion.

Allegations of biased judging continue while reports of deals being struck between countries to help a skater's progress remain as much a part of figure skating as costumes and jumps.

Two judges, a Russian and a Ukrainian, received 24-month bans after they were caught collaborating on scoring during the pairs competition at the 1999 world championships in Helsinki.

Eventually both suspensions were reduced after going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and both have been reinstated by the ISU. One of the two, Alfred Korytek, is back judging at these championships.

The problems have brought calls for more accountable judging and the development of a professional group of judges to be used at major competitions. The ISU says it is currently investigating this.

"The ISU could have a dedicated number of judges, professional judges, for a certain number of events, that is something under discussion," confirmed Cinquanta.

"The Congress has given instructions to the ISU council to work out a structure to re-evaluate the judging system. We could in the future have a number of judges to be dedicated to major events. That is a fact.

"But they will not be paid professionals."

Cinquanta said the ISU was considering the idea of having skaters perform two long programmes a season after increasing complaints from television and sponsors that audiences were becoming bored seeing the same routines over a year of competition.

"We're not asking skaters to invent new jumps, the elements remain the same, it is the composition of the programme," said Cinquanta. "Don't forget Michael Schumacher doesn't drive on the same circuit, he has to change every 15 days.

"Television tells us: 'If you want to be put on live, we need a good product and the same programme all the time is not good'. We have to react to the television, the sponsors and the money.