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Madison Chock and Evan Bates have answered questions about judging in the recent Olympic Ice Dance Pairs Final. Chock called for judges to be investigated for the sake of transparency.
The pair looked to defend their gold medal, but came second to French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
A French judge rated Beaudry and Cizeron higher than Chock and Bates, ultimately helping the French team win gold over the Americans. The rating has been the subject of controversy on social media, with some arguing that Chock and Bates should have rated higher.
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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States compete during the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Chock told CBS News, “It would “definitely be helpful if it’s more understandable for viewers, just to see more transparent judging and understand … what’s really going on.”
“I think it’s also important for the skaters that the umpires are scrutinized and reviewed to make sure they’re giving their best performance as well,” she continued, “because there’s a lot at stake for the skaters when they’re out there giving it their all, and we deserve to have the umpires giving us their all as well, and for it to be a fair and level playing field.”
Chock’s response came shortly after she had sung a different note when asked by NBC News to judge.
“We’ve definitely been through a roller coaster of emotions, especially in the last 24 hours,” Chock told NBC News. “And I think what we’ll take away is how we felt right after our skates and how proud we were of what we accomplished and how we handled ourselves throughout the week. To put in four great performances at the Olympic Games is no small feat and we have a lot to be proud of.”
Chock and Bates were behind French couple by 0.46 of a point entering the free dance on Wednesday night, looking for their first ice dance Olympic medal, with hopes that it would be gold, of course.
Their matador routine, where they danced to a rendition of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It, Black”, drew cheers from the audience and they finished with tears in their eyes.
They finished with 224.39 after scoring 134.67 in their free dance.
Chock and Bates have won two team golds after Sunday’s Team USA win, but they had to watch one more routine to see if they could capture gold as Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron took the ice.
But the judges decided the French duo did enough to defeat the Americans in the end.
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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States react after seeing their results earn them the silver medal after competing during the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Beaudry and Cizeron scored 135.64 in the free dance for a total of 225.82.
Chock and Bates were looking to experience receiving their gold medals on the podium after a delayed receipt of their medals at the 2022 games.
Chock and Bates initially had to settle for team silver with their American teammates on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Team Russia and Kamila Valieva, there were 15 at the time, stood over them with their gold medals.
It was not until late January 2024, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found Valieva guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, that Chock, Bates and the United States were declared the rightful 2022 gold winners.
Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, during an anti-doping test at the Russian Figure Skating Championships in December 2021. She was suspended for four years and stripped of all competition results since that date.
Chock and Bates talked about what their message to Valieva would be today during an interview at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s media summit in October.
“It’s hard, I think, to imagine what a 15-year-old has been through and under those kinds of situations,” Bates said. “And I know how stressful it is to be an elite athlete as an adult, as a 36-year-old. And I think grace should be given to people across the board. And we can never really know the whole situation, at least from our point of view. … I really don’t know what I would say to her.”
Chock added: “I just wanted to wish her well the way I would. I think life is short. And at the end of the day, we’re all human beings just going through our own human experience together. And regardless of what someone has or hasn’t done and how it’s affected you, I think it’s important to remember that we’re human as a collective and we’re all here on earth for this, and the same I want to have time to be healthy on earth. Life, filled with people who love them.”
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Silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States skate with their medals after competing in the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan, Italy, February 11, 2026. (Francisco Seco/AP Photo)
Chock and Bates had to wait more than two years after the inaugural Olympics to get their rightful gold medals, and they were finally presented in a ceremony at the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024.
