Over the past week, it’s been nearly impossible to get through a newscast without hearing the term “Olympic moment” thrown out. This phrase usually accompanies instrumental music and a touching story on an athlete that overcame incredible odds to leave his or her mark on the Salt Lake Games.

However, these sappy Olympian profiles have been significantly overshadowed by several un-Olympic moments.

While features focus on athletic success, many top athletes expected to medal have failed in their pursuits of fulfilling their dreams.

Most notably, the Olympics suffered a huge thorn in their side with the highly controversial end to the pairs figure skating competition. When Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were originally robbed of their gold medals by unfair judging, the International Olympic Committee and International Skating Union had to admit the Olympic Games are not a pure venue. As cheating and scandal loomed over the Olympic Village, the IOC was forced to make an unprecedented decision and awarded Sale and Pelletier gold medals, naming them co-champions with the Russian pair.

The situation was solved, but it only revealed how flawed the figure skating events were. Yesterday, the ISU met to discuss changing the judging system, but that will only affect the future. For now, every other figure skating competition for the remainder of the Games will be under the microscope as everyone wonders if the judging really reflects the program that was just performed.

But the disappointment doesn’t stop in the world of figure skating. Last weekend, America’s Apolo Anton Ohno skated himself into gold medal position in the 1000-meter short-track speed skating competition. Headed down the final stretch, a skater fell and took Ohno down with him. From there, a domino effect occurred, taking down all the skaters but one, the last-placed Australian. As the Aussie skated past the wreckage to win the gold medal, Ohno picked himself off the ice and dove for the finish line to end up in a disappointing second place.

Controversy was once again stirred when the judges on the ice allowed the final results to stand, overruling a re-race, although it was evident the first skater to fall had caused the pileup of speed skaters.

Although Ohno was one of the mere 20 percent of athletes to walk away with an Olympic medal, his gold medal was taken away from him by an unfortunate fall. Ohno still has several other races to compete in to grab the illustrious gold medal, but now he will do so with a painful reminder of his first race — stitches that were needed to repair the gash in his thigh he suffered from the fall.

For other athletes, the results were even more disappointing. Picabo Street was profiled by several media outlets before her downhill race. Her story started out as an Olympic moment, as the American came back from injuries to get herself back into Olympic form. She started out the Salt Lake Games in top form, showing during her practice runs that she has what it takes to win the gold. Then, in the race where it counted, her 2002 Olympic gold medal dreams faded, and she was denied a spot on the podium.

Also left off the podium was the United States’ Jonny Moseley. Hoping to defend the gold medal he earned at the Nagano Games in 1998, Moseley hit the freestyle moguls venue with a trick up his sleeve — “the dinner roll.” A jump Moseley thought was difficult enough to win the gold was not as well liked by the judges, and he finished off the medal stand in a disappointing fourth place.

Later this week, another event will take precedence over all others as far as media coverage goes, as ladies’ figure skating takes place. With this venue comes the prospect of another Olympian seeing her dreams of a gold medal fade away.

After the 1998 Nagano Games, America’s Michelle Kwan finished in silver medal position after her teammate Tara Lipinski stole the gold. While the judging was debated — Kwan’s artistry over the young Lipinski’s jumps — Kwan made the difficult decision to put off the professional circuit and remain an amateur. This was done, of course, so she could come back and win the gold medal in front of the American crowd.

Now, four years later, Kwan will take the ice Thursday to prove she made the right decision. However, in her way is a talented group of American and Russian skaters who could steal the gold away from her again.

And if she does lose the gold, the skater who showed the Olympic experience was worth more than money will walk away from Salt Lake disappointed and wondering what was so illustrious about the Games.

Yet if Kwan is singing to America’s national anthem this weekend, she will have captured yet another Olympic moment, a moment that has been uncatchable for so many athletes.