Winter Olympics Figure Skating Judges Face Vetting Demands After Scoring Controversy
The "true champions" of Winter Olympics figure skating have issued a powerful call for judges to undergo thorough vetting procedures. This demand follows mounting fears of a potential rigging scandal, centered on the controversial scoring history of a French judge during the ice dance competition in Milan.
Dramatic Gold Medal Denial Sparks Outrage
On Wednesday in Milan, American skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates were dramatically denied Olympic gold by the French pair of Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. This occurred despite Chock and Bates believing they had delivered what they described as a "flawless, gold-medal performance." The victory margin was narrow, but an alarming discrepancy in scoring has ignited a firestorm of controversy.
The focal point of the controversy is French judge Jezabel Dabouis, whose scores showed a significant deviation from the rest of the judging panel. Analysis reveals a nearly eight-point difference in how Dabouis scored the American and French teams—a gap substantially larger than any other judge awarded. In a particularly cruel twist, five of the nine judges actually gave Chock and Bates the highest score in the free dance, compared to only four who ranked the French pair first.
A Pattern of Questionable Scoring Emerges
Investigations into Dabouis's judging history reveal a concerning pattern. According to the archive website SkatingScores.com, Dabouis has consistently shown score discrepancies favoring Beaudry and Cizeron across multiple competitions while underscoring their main opponents.
At the 2026 European Championships, Dabouis scored the French pair markedly higher than her fellow judges during the free skate section. Simultaneously, she underscored the two couples who were their closest competitors for gold, when compared to the panel's average scores.
Last year, at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Japan, Beaudry and Cizeron experienced significant errors in their routine—including missing an element and suffering a fall—that would typically eliminate them from podium contention. Yet, Dabouis rewarded them with an exceptionally high score that contradicted the performance flaws.
The Skaters Speak Out
Chock and Bates have since addressed the dubious judging publicly after numerous fans online claimed the competition was "rigged" against them. Speaking to CBS News, Chock emphasized the need for greater transparency.
"It would definitely be helpful if it's more understandable for the viewers, to just see more transparent judging and understand... what's really going on," Chock stated. "I think it's also important for the skaters, that the judges be vetted and reviewed to make sure that they are also putting out their best performance. There's a lot on the line for the skaters when they're out there giving it their all, and we deserve to have the judges also giving us their all and for it to be a fair and even playing field."
Despite their disappointment, the American pair managed to display remarkable sportsmanship. "I feel like life is sometimes you can feel like you do everything right and it doesn't go your way, and that's life and that's sport," Bates reflected. "And it's a subjective sport. It's a judged sport."
Chock added, "It's definitely a little bittersweet because we are so, so happy with how we performed this week. We really gave it our all, and I wouldn't change anything about how we approached each performance, what we delivered in each performance. We really gave it our best."
Widespread Backlash and Official Response
The scoring controversy has triggered a massive outcry across social media and among fellow competitors. American figure skater Ellie Kam took to Instagram to describe Chock and Bates as "true champions," echoing the sentiments of many fans.
"This is a judging scandal," one user fumed online. "There aren't many times in sports where several times over it seems to be rigged... Chock and Bates (and others) got robbed." Another demanded, "There must be an investigation!"
The backlash has been so severe that the International Skating Union (ISU) felt compelled to issue an official statement addressing the concerns. "It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges in any panel and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations," the ISU stated. "The ISU has full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness."
Additional Controversies Surround Gold Medalists
Meanwhile, the gold medal-winning French pair arrived in Milan already under a cloud of separate controversies. Fournier Beaudry has faced intense scrutiny over her relationship with boyfriend and former skating partner, Nikolaj Sorensen, who was suspended in 2024 following allegations of a 2012 sexual assault involving a former skater and coach.
Sorensen denied the accusations, and though his six-year suspension from Skate Canada was eventually overturned on a technicality, the scandal effectively ended his competitive career. Beaudry recently lamented the situation in the Netflix docuseries 'Glitter & Gold,' claiming the ordeal ruined her partner's life.
Simultaneously, Cizeron arrived facing explosive claims from his former gold-medal-winning partner, Gabriella Papadakis. In an interview ahead of her memoir 'So as Not to Disappear,' Papadakis described Cizeron as "controlling, demanding and critical." She wrote that she felt under his "control" and was "terrified" of being alone with him during their time as a world-leading pair.
Cizeron has vehemently denied these allegations, labeling them a "smear campaign" and confirming he is pursuing legal action. "I want to express my incomprehension and disagreement with the labels attributed to me," he told Reuters. "The book contains false information, including statements I never made, which I consider serious."
The combination of judging controversies and personal allegations has created a perfect storm of scrutiny around what should have been a celebratory Olympic victory, raising fundamental questions about fairness and integrity in judged winter sports.
