Team France’s ice dancing duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron won the gold medal after narrowly defeating Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates, but their victory was marred by controversy.
At the center of the scandal lies a perceived judging bias during the free dance, where five of the nine judges favored the American team, but a French judge scored their fellow nationals nearly eight points higher than Team USA, Bored Panda previously reported.
Many fans of the event argued that the French duo appeared out of sync and that Cizeron made a glaring mistake during his twizzle sequence.
Even Italy’s ice dancing pair, Marco Fabbri and Charlène Guignard, commented on the matter, expressing that Team USA “deserved” the gold.
In response to a situation they deem unfair, viewers have launched an online petition calling for an investigation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Skating Union (ISU) into the judging process to ensure “transparency and accountability.”
Team USA earned silver after receiving only 1.43 points fewer than the French pair.
Chock and Bates, who are also a couple off the ice, were emotional after an outcome that she described as “bittersweet.”
Calling her and Bates’ performance "flawless,” she added, “We couldn’t have skated any better, and we’re super proud with how we took the ice, how we handled ourselves every time. The rest is out of our hands.”
Meanwhile, Bates said it was a “subjective sport.” He shared, “I think one fact that is indisputable is that we delivered our best. We skated our best.”
At the center of the scandal lies a perceived judging bias during the free dance, where five of the nine judges favored the American team, but a French judge scored their fellow nationals nearly eight points higher than Team USA, Bored Panda previously reported.
Many fans of the event argued that the French duo appeared out of sync and that Cizeron made a glaring mistake during his twizzle sequence.
Even Italy’s ice dancing pair, Marco Fabbri and Charlène Guignard, commented on the matter, expressing that Team USA “deserved” the gold.
In response to a situation they deem unfair, viewers have launched an online petition calling for an investigation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Skating Union (ISU) into the judging process to ensure “transparency and accountability.”
Team USA earned silver after receiving only 1.43 points fewer than the French pair.
Chock and Bates, who are also a couple off the ice, were emotional after an outcome that she described as “bittersweet.”
Calling her and Bates’ performance "flawless,” she added, “We couldn’t have skated any better, and we’re super proud with how we took the ice, how we handled ourselves every time. The rest is out of our hands.”
Meanwhile, Bates said it was a “subjective sport.” He shared, “I think one fact that is indisputable is that we delivered our best. We skated our best.”