6.0 system

Skaters performed each figure three times on each foot, for a total of six, which as writer Ellyn Kestnbaum states, "gave rise to the system of awarding marks based on a standard of 6.0 as perfection".

Criticism of the 6.0 system included that it did not provide statistics and points of comparison between skaters' performances and lent itself to judging discrepancies, inconsistencies, and dishonesty.

According to the ISU, the marks of the 6.0 system did not express any value, but served the purpose of placing a skater into a "specific ranking position".

[11] Technical merit marks in the short program were awarded to skaters when they executed a specified number of required moves (spins, jumps, and step sequences, and in pair skating, lifts and a death spiral).

The criteria for technical merit marks in the free skate included the following: the difficulty of the skaters' performance; cleanness and sureness; variety; and speed.

According to the ISU, the 6.0 system did not include statistics for each program component and did not provide feedback and detailed information that allowed skaters, coaches, and judges to compare the quality of competitors' skating.

The system did not encourage consistency among judges, since it was difficult for them to remember the performances of all skaters in a competition in order to rank them appropriately.

Skaters were ranked in comparison to each other, not on their individual performances, based on the assumption, which was "questioned by many observers, and the public",[16] that skaters placed in the final groups during the free skating program were more skilled and would earn higher marks because they earned higher marks in their short programs.

The first scandal arose during the pair skating competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Lithuanian federation protested against the results, and although the protests were denied, figure skating historian James R. Hines states that it "demonstrated again problems stemming from subjective judging", especially in ice dance, and "underscored the need for reevaluation of figure skating's judging system".

[6] The International Skating Union (ISU) president Ottavio Cinquanta promoted a replacement system, the IJS.