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"Booing spectators halted the Olympic horizontal bar final for nearly 10 minutes here, expressing their frustration at what turned into the latest of several Games gymnastics judging controversies.
In a surreal scene unlike anything gymnastics veterans had ever encountered, jeers and whistles of disgust cascaded upon judges after 2000 Olympic bar champion Alexei Nemov of Russia got a 9.725, putting him third after three men.
As Olympic all-around champion Paul Hamm waited to follow, boos continued. Officials pleaded for silence with no avail and finally judges Teh Kin Kin of Malaysia and Chris Grabowecky of Canada changed scores so Nemov had a 9.762.
Nemov was still last. The crowd was still upset. The noise continued.
The Russian rose to quiet the crowd with little effect. Only when American Hamm approached the bar and began did the roar dwindle to a murmur. When Hamm received a 9.812 to grab the lead, the boos returned.
"I was trying to block it out and get into a zone," Hamm said. "It shows our sport is a subjective sport. People are going to have different opinions."
More jeers followed when Italy's Igor Cassina was given the same score but ranked ahead of Hamm on tie-breakers. Cassina won with Hamm second. Nemov finished fifth."
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