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4 suspended for rigging Vanessa-Mae results

By WTOP Staff

ALI ZERDIN
Associated Press

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Four Slovenian ski officials were suspended Friday for allegedly rigging the results of pop violinist Vanessa-Mae to help her qualify for the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Competing in Sochi for Thailand as Vanessa Vanakorn, using the surname of her Thai father, she finished a distant last among the 67 racers who completed the two runs in the Olympic giant slalom.

To earn enough points to be eligible for the games in February, she had to compete in official races in Sweden, Norway, Slovenia and Switzerland.

The Slovenian Ski Association said Friday it found evidence indicating that the races it hosted in January were “fixed at the behest of Thai ski officials to meet her qualifying criteria for Sochi.”

The Slovenian association president, Jurij Zurej, said the suspected irregularities included falsification of times and rankings.

“The starting list included a person who did not even compete, a racer who fell was registered as finishing high in the standings,” Zurej said. “In addition, the dates of the competitions did not match the actual state when the races were held.”

Zurej said that Vanessa-Mae might not have known about the violations at the time.

Her representatives did not immediately respond to telephone calls and emails from The Associated Press seeking comment about the allegations.

Zurej said Vanessa-Mae competed in four races in Slovenia on Mount Krvavec in January. According to the official reports sent to the International Ski Federation, known as FIS, two events took place on Jan. 17. But the races actually took place the following day, according to Zurej.

The two other races took place on Jan. 19, including one which served as the Thai national championship.

“In a document for one of the races, a competitor is mentioned who actually did not race,” Zurej said.

“In another race, one competitor said she fell,” Zurej said. “However, according to the documents sent to FIS, she took second place. There are also indications that the timings were wrong.”

According to the reports sent to FIS, Vanessa-Mae finished 10th, 9th, 7th and 6th in the four consecutive races in Slovenia, which mainly involved Slovenian junior competitors.

FIS president Gian Franco Kasper said he was “disappointed” by the alleged cheating but that no action could be taken until the Slovenian association completes its inquiry.

“We have told the Slovenian ski federation that for the time being they should go into the details and find out what their own people did and determine domestic sanctions,” Kasper told The Associated Press. “Then we will decide what we have to do on our side. … We have no proof for the time being.”

The 35-year-old Vanessa-Mae, who was born in Singapore and raised in Britain, clocked her two Olympic runs in a total of 3 minutes, 26.97 seconds — 50.1 seconds slower than gold medalist Tina Maze of Slovenia.

“She was not the best skier,” Kasper said. “I think you have seen that.”

After completing her race in Sochi, Vanessa-Mae likened the Olympics to “the greatest show on earth.”

“To just share the same snow, to be able to slide down the same snow that the elite skiers carve down is just an honor and a privilege,” she said at the time.

Vanessa-Mae also competed in races in Sweden, Norway and Italy before the Sochi Games but no cheating was reported from those events.

“As far as we have been informed this was something just in Slovenia with a special race that she needed for the necessary points,” Kasper said.

The Slovenian association has proposed four-year suspensions for the four officials involved in the organization of the races, including Vlado Makuc, the head of the country’s Alpine skiing body. The findings of the investigation will also be forwarded to the Slovenian police.

The scandal is also awkward for International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who was photographed with Vanessa-Mae in Sochi and recently named her as an outside expert on an IOC working group on culture policy.

“This is primarily a matter for the Slovenian Ski Federation and eventually FIS,” an IOC spokeswoman, Emmanuelle Moreau, told the AP.

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Associated Press writer Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Rome contributed.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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