[30] ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta cautioned the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, "If one of your skaters has sustained the same injury for years.

Russian figure skating officials defended the initial selection of Plushenko by noting that Kovtun had done poorly at international events.

[44] USA Today reported "A high-ranking Olympic figure skating official … said the geographic makeup of the judging panel 'was clearly slanted towards … Sotnikova.

[46] Journalists questioned the appointments of Russian judge Alla Shekhovtsova, the wife of the former president and the current general director of Figure Skating Federation of Russia Valentin Piseev, and Ukrainian judge Yuri Balkov, who was suspended for a year after being caught on tape attempting to fix the ice dancing competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

[47] The technical panel, that oversees correct execution of elements, is headed by fellow Russian Alexander Lakernik.

[48] The detailed score sheet shows that one judge gave Adelina Sotnikova +3 grade of execution (GOE) on all except two elements.

[38][49] Journalists and experts argued that scores given to Adelina Sotnikova were inflated both in the short and long programs.

She was inexplicably scored above all others in the free program, where most believed she merited only 4th place in the phase behind Yuna, Mao Asada, and Carolina Kostner.

Many among them cite that certain judges gave generous scores along with fellow Russian competitor Yulia Lipnitskaya.

[52] Katarina Witt, a two-time Olympic champion, stated "I am stunned by this result, I don’t understand the scoring.

"[53][54] Several experts have also pointed out how Kim and Kostner's programs have significantly better artistry, choreography and skill on ice that should translate to higher component marks to other skaters.

"[55] Four-time world champion Kurt Browning also expressed his surprise at the results, declaring that he did not understand how Kim and Sotnikova could have been so close in the programme component scores.

Dick Button, two-time Olympic champion and longstanding skating analyst, commented: "Sotnikova was energetic, strong, commendable, but not a complete skater.

"[38][57] A petition in Change.org against the results of the event demanding an investigation and rejudgment has amassed over 2 million supporters breaking several web traffic records on the website.