Figure Skating is not a sport.

Another Winter Olympics.

Another skating controversy.

This year, it was recently unretired Yevgeny Plushenko complaining that American Evan Lysacek is not the true 2010 Olympic champion because Lysacek did not attempt the difficult "quad" jump during the free skate last night.

Plushenko lost the gold medal to Lysacek by 1.31 points in the labyrinthine figure skating judging formula.

Lysacek, who suffered a broken foot in 2009, didn't have a quad in his program most likely out of fear that his foot would not allow him to perform the maneuver.

Elvis Stojko agrees with Plushenko that Lysacek shouldn't have won last night. (Although calling it "The night they killed figure skating" is a bit much, no?)

However, my larger point is this:

I cannot consider figure skating to be a sport.

Now, I'm not saying that figure skaters aren't athletes. They are. What they do requires tremendous leg strength, endurance, agility, flexibility and balance. In pairs, even more so, because of the lifting that the male half has to perform. They are in excellent physical shape.

But they don't compete in a sport.

Now, before you get your sequins and makeup in an uproar, I feel the same way about any sport where judging plays a role in determining who wins.

I love diving in the Summer Olympics. Not a sport.

Gymnastics? Not a sport.

Snowboard halfpipe is usually a fun watch for a few minutes. Not a sport.

They are athletic competitions.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but to me, a sport is a competition where the winner and loser is decided by the outcome on the actual field/arena of play.

I do make an exception for things like boxing or mixed martial arts, which have judges. But the judging is only used as a last resort. If the match is not taken care of by knockout, submission, withdrawal or disqualification, then we go to the judges to see what they think.

In other words, they are the last line of decision, not the primary determining factor in who wins and who loses.

Appreciate the artistry and skill and talent of the gymnasts, snowboarders, figure skaters and divers who give up precious years of their lives physically and mentally training to be the best in the world in their given discipline. Be astonished by how physically gifted they are and by how athletic they are.

Just don't tell me they participate in sports.