By Adrian Warner

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Olympic chief Sandy Baldwin accused Russia Saturday of being anti-American with its protests about judging at the Salt Lake Games.

Russia withdrew a threat to leave the Games Friday after criticizing judges and officials in several sports. Canada and South Korea have also launched appeals against judging decisions during the Olympics.

But United States Olympic Committee (USOC) president Baldwin criticized the Russians and the country's Olympic leader Vitaly Smirnov, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president.

"Every Games needs a little drama. If there were no protests the world would think the Games were a bit boring. I have felt, that except for the Russians, that they have not been anti-America.

"I don't think it has anything to do with the athletes, referees or the United States. I think it is more Mr. Smirnov's feelings about the shift in fortunes of Russian athletes."

Used to dominating the medals table in the days of the Soviet Union, the Russians started Saturday's 16th day of competition in fourth place with five golds, half the number of the United States.

Asked if the Russians had been protesting because they were not dominating the Olympics as much, Baldwin told reporters after an IOC meeting: "I think that has an effect on their perception as it would on mine.

"If the U.S. had experienced what they did in Calgary (in 1988 with just six total medals) I would feel the same way. I'm to sure to be frustrated."

In the biggest political crisis to hit the Olympics since the Cold War, the Russians had threatened Thursday to quit the Games prematurely because of what they perceived was bad and biased judging.

They called off their threat after talks with IOC president Jacques Rogge.

The Russians have filed a number of protests since the IOC and the International Skating Union took the unprecedented step of awarding a second gold medal in the figure skating pairs competition to Canadian duo Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, who had finished second.

The decision followed a public outcry and a four-day North American media campaign to overturn the original result in which Russian pair Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the gold on a 5-4 split vote.

After their hotly-favored women's cross-country team was forced to withdraw from Thursday's relay following some abnormalities in blood tests, the Russians' patience snapped.

The Russians suffered another reverse Friday when an appeal against Irina Slutskaya's second place in the women's figure skating was rejected.