British Ice Skating (BIS) has launched an appeal against a two-point penalty imposed on ice dancers Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson during the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, which cost them a bronze medal. The duo were penalised for an 'illegal element' in their free dance routine, dropping them to fourth place behind American pair Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik by just 0.22 points.
BIS described the deduction as 'incorrect' and released a statement saying: 'We are formally challenging this decision and will be raising our concerns with the International Skating Union. We are also calling for a full and independent review of the officiating process to ensure accountability and fairness for all athletes.'
The governing body added: 'Lilah and Lewis have our full and unwavering support. Their achievements – this week and across their careers – remain outstanding, and they continue to be role models for the sport both in Great Britain and around the world.'
BIS further stated: 'We believe this deduction was applied incorrectly and does not accurately reflect the performance delivered on the ice. As an organisation, British Ice Skating stands for fairness, clarity, and transparency in sport. In this instance, we do not believe those principles have been upheld. All athletes deserve to be judged with consistency, integrity, and transparency at the highest level of competition.'
The competition was won by Olympic champions Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry of France, who scored 230.81 points to become only the fourth pair to win Olympic, world and European titles in the same season. Fear and Gibson finished with 208.98 points, having also missed out on a medal at the Olympics last month due to a mistake in their free dance routine.
