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The International Skating Union defended a judge’s controversial score that left Madison Chock and Evan Bates just short of Olympic gold earlier this week.
Chock and Bates settled for silver after Jezabel Dabouis favored Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron by almost eight points over the three-time world champions in the free dance.
“It is normal for there to be a range of marks given by different judges in any panel, and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations,” the ISU said, adding that it has “full confidence in the scores awarded and remains fully committed to fairness.”
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USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates with the silver medals (left) and France’s Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry with the gold medals (right) after the figure skating ice dance, free dance, at the Milan Ice Skating Arena, on day five of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy. Photo date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026. (Fabrizio Carabelli/PA Images via Getty Images)
Chock called for judges to be investigated for the sake of transparency.
“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,” she told CBS News.
“I think it’s also important for the skaters that the judges are vetted and reviewed to make sure they’re giving their best performance as well,” she continued. “Because there is a lot at stake for the skaters when they are out there giving everything, and we deserve that the judges also give us everything and that it will be a fair and even course.”
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 later said she and Bates would “consider” an appeal.
“I think skating is such a subjective sport, but I think in fairness it’s good when the judges are reviewed for their work. Not just after this competition, but every competition just to make sure there’s a fair and level playing field for all athletes,” Chock told Access Hollywood.
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“We did everything we could. We wouldn’t have changed a single thing about our performance – or any of our performances or how we approached the week. We’re super proud of the work we put in – we left no stone unturned so we can leave the Games feeling satisfied and accomplished about ourselves.”
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. But the judges decided the French duo did enough to defeat the Americans in the end.
Dabouis’ margin was so great that if her score were removed from the equation, Chock and Bates would have won gold.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates pose for a photo after the 2026 Milan Olympic figure skating announcement show at the Enterprise Center on January 11, 2026. (Jeff Curry/Imagn Images)
Many critics have called the system confusing and still too subjective, and more than 14,000 people had signed a Change.org petition by Friday asking the ISU and IOC to investigate the latest scoring controversy.
