Ice Skating: Lure for Torvill and Dean

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, one of the most celebrated partnerships in British sport, are contemplating another assault on the Olympic title 10 years after they conquered the world of ice dancing.

The pair will decide within the next two months whether to seek eligibility to return to international competition and attempt to regain their Olympic crown at Lillehammer in 1994.

Their personal assistant, Debi Turner, said yesterday they were tempted by the unprecedented challenge of regaining their title a decade after they won it at the 1984 Sarajevo Games. A British skating official said their application would be 'looked on kindly'.

Torvill and Dean, who turned professional after their innovative Bolero routine in Sarajevo earned them a string of perfect sixes and the title of the best ice dancers in history, have since built a lucrative showbusiness career on ice.

However, new rules brought in by the International Skating Union, allowing professionals to compete in international championships while continuing their showbusiness careers, have persuaded them to think about a comeback.

Last week, Katarina Witt, an Olympic champion for East Germany, said she will return to competition and go for a third gold in Lillehammer.

Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov of Russia won the European pairs figure skating title at the first attempt in Helsinki last night.