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US Olympic medalist gymnast MyKayla Skinner spoke out against the judges who denied Madison Chock and Evan Bates ice dance gold at the Winter Games this week.
Chock and Bates finished second to French rivals Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron after a controversial scoring by a French judge on the final routine.
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Mykayla Skinner of Team United States poses with the silver medal after the Women’s Vault Final on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Ariake Gymnastics Center on August 1, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Skinner, a former athlete whose honors were also determined by judges, said she is “sickened” by the decision.
“I’m tired of athletes not getting what they’ve worked so hard for and referees cheating,” Skinner told Pakinomist Digital.
Skinner is not alone.
Former U.S. gymnastics champion Jennifer Sey also condemned the scoring that pitted Beaudry and Cizeron over Chock and Bates, suggesting judges need to be held more accountable.
“There has been corruption in refereed sports at the Olympic level forever. In gymnastics, boxing and figure skating. There needs to be more careful selection of judges to vet for susceptibility to corruption, and more transparency in how results are derived. In addition, corrupt judges need to be heavily fined to discourage the future,” Seyating said in.
Jennifer Sey founded XX-XY Athletics in March 2024. (Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, a Winter Olympian who missed out on qualifying for Milan Cortina due to controversial rules also weighed in.
Five-time U.S. Olympian Katie Uhlaender, who lost her chance to qualify after Team Canada withdrew athletes at a qualifier to reduce the number of points the competition could offer, expressed her love for her fellow Americans in Chock and Bates.
“I’m so proud of Evan and Madison. I know how hard they fought for gold in 2022, a battle that took years beyond the podium. They represented the United States well and deserved a moment on the podium at the Games like the Olympic champions they are,” said Uhlaender.
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“I know nothing about rated sports. I know they deserved to be on top of the podium in 2022 and that they gave the world and the USA the best they had. Go to the USA and thank them both for representing us so well.”
Skinner said she knew the “sacrifice” athletes make to compete at the Olympics in the first place.
MyKayla Skinner of Team United States poses with the silver medal after the Women’s Vault Final on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Ariake Gymnastics Center on August 1, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
“I have so much respect for every athlete that competed because I know firsthand how much sacrifice goes into preparing for the Olympics,” Skinner added. “But I think there were performances from Team USA that deserved higher scores. When you dedicate your life to perfecting every detail, you expect the judging to reflect that level of excellence.
“From my perspective as an Olympian, I saw routines that were clean, technically strong and emotionally strong. It’s hard not to feel like they were emphasized. Our athletes put in gold medal-caliber performances, and I stand by that.”
Skinner added that the controversy was a little more personal for her.
“This also hits close to home for me. At the 2016 Gymnastics Olympic Trials, I finished fourth in the all-around, and historically fourth and fifth place had been named to the team,” she said. “That year, the selection process didn’t follow what many expected. I learned firsthand that sometimes things don’t always feel fair in graded sports. But that’s exactly why transparency and consistency matter so much! Athletes deserve clarity and confidence that their work will be evaluated evenly.
“I am incredibly proud of Team USA. Regardless of the color of the medal, they represented our country with heart.”
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 and Bates trailed the French pair by 0.46 points entering the free dance on Wednesday night, looking for their first Olympic ice dance medal with hopes that, of course, it would be gold.
Their matador routine, dancing to a rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It, Black,” drew cheers from the audience and they ended 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.
Beaudry and Cizeron scored 135.64 in the free dance for a total of 225.82.
The rating has become a globally debated topic in recent days, with some claiming the French duo should have been judged more harshly.
Chock suggested that she and Bates would consider appealing the score in an interview with Access Hollywood.
“I suppose we would consider it. 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 to just make sure there’s a fair and level playing field for all athletes,” Chock said.
Bates have praised their supporters who are speaking out during the dispute.
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“It means a lot that people are voicing their opinions on our behalf,” Bates said. “The way we skated and the way we’ve gone about chasing those goals has hopefully resonated with people back home, even in our response. I think, hopefully, that too can reflect the Olympic spirit.”
The International Skating Union (ISU) has since defended the score.
“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.”
