By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport, Salt Lake City

Russia are still threatening to boycott the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics but have withdrawn their threat to pull their team out of the Games.

The Russians are angry about what they claim is unfair officiating, specifically in figure skating, ice hockey and cross country.

On Friday they made a formal protest to the International Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union over the judging of Thursday night's women's free skating.

They appealed despite Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachev's assertion that: "The result was right".

American Sarah Hughes came from fourth after the short programme to claim gold. Russian Irina Slutskaya stayed in silver medal position with Michelle Kwan falling and dropping from gold to bronze.

A spokesman for the Russian team said: "We believe Slutskaya skated as well if not better than Hughes in the free programme. We don't want to take a gold medal away from the American skater but our skater deserved the gold medal."

The precedent set by the ISU in promoting Canadians David Pelletier and Jamie Sale to retrospective gold medal in last week's pairs figure skating is already causing problems.

In a separate development South Korea have demanded a gold for their short-track speed skater Kim Dong-Sung.

Kim appeared to win the men's 1500 metres on Wednesday but was disqualified and gold handed to America Apolo Anton Ohno.

Korea have also threatened to boycott the closing ceremony. The ISU have rejected their appeal saying there is no provision within their rules to overturn a judgement call by the referee.

Russia's anger was sparked by the forced withdrawal of their fancied cross country relay team on Thursday from the 20-kilometre relay.

Nine time Olympic medallist Larissa Lazutina was not allowed to compete because of an abnormal pre-race blood screening.

But their protests over Slutskaya appears doomed. Hughes skated a clean programme in a component of the competition which accounts for two thirds of the total marks. Slutskaya stepped out of a flip.

The Korean Olympic Committee later announced that they have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, having had their initial protest rejected by the ISU.

KOC President Un Yong Kim said: "We are making a protest purely on technical grounds. We have no dispute with the IOC or the organisers of these games.

"All the athletes have competed well and honourably, but the referee has failed them.

"We will continue to do everything we can to rectify these injustices."

Chemmy Alcott's busy Olympics continue as she finished 30th in the women's giant slalom on Friday.

The 19-year-old British skiier said: "My aim at this Olympics was to learn from the experience and I have done that.

"I now know what to expect and I have learned that I need to train harder for stamina if I am to continue competing in all five events. I was the only girl to do so here."