Chock and Bates Demand Judge Review After Ice Dance Controversy
Madison Chock and Evan Bates called for transparent, vetted judging after a 1.43-point Olympic ice dance loss and scrutiny of French judge Jezabel Dabouis' scores.
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USA TODAYChock and Bates say scoring confusion at Olympics is 'disservice' to figure skating
NewsweekMadison Chock, Evan Bates demand change after Olympic scoring controversy
SlateThe Ice Dancing Judging Scandal That Has American Fans Furious
Overview
At the 2026 Winter Olympics Madison Chock and Evan Bates won silver in ice dance with 224.39 points to Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron’s 225.82, a 1.43-point margin.
Cizeron made a twizzle mistake that was not marked down and French judge Jezabel Dabouis gave the French team 137.45 and the Americans 129.74, a 7.71-point differential among nine judges.
Chock said judges should be vetted and reviewed and called for more transparent judging to make results more understandable for viewers, according to CBS News.
Chock and Bates scored 134.67 in the free dance to Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron’s 135.64, and their rhythm dance and totals were 89.72 and 224.39 versus 90.18 and 225.82.
Chock said they might consider filing an appeal, the pair said they "have plans to remain on the ice" for now, and they are the reigning world champions.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as an American injustice by emphasizing the scoring gap, spotlighting the French judge, and amplifying parents' emotional reactions while using evaluative terms like "dubious." They prioritize U.S. perspectives and calls for transparency, and omit countervailing explanations or official scoring rationale, steering readers toward suspicion of bias.