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GENEVA — A senior judge in gymnastics has been banned for four years for manipulating scores to help an athlete from her own country Cyprus qualify for the Paris Olympics. The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation which investigated the case says Evangelia Trikomiti "unduly interfered with the judges' work" last May at the European Championships in rhythmic gymnastics. That sent Vera Tugolukova of Cyprus to the Olympics instead of Poland's Liliana Lewińska. Tugolukova placed 16th in Paris and was Cyprus flagbearer at the closing ceremony. The Polish gymnastics federation filed allegations against Trikomiti. Two judges at the Olympic qualifying event testified against her.
