The 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics have been marked by multiple controversies since the Games began on February 6, and now the ice dancing competition has become the latest flashpoint.
On Wednesday, February 11, a judging scandal erupted in the ice dance event when American favorites Madison Chock and Evan Bates were narrowly beaten for gold by the French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
Highlights
- A major judging controversy erupted after Team USA narrowly lost ice dance gold, despite five of nine judges reportedly favoring Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
- Fans accused a French judge of extreme bias after allegedly scoring the French team significantly higher, while Italian skater Marco Fabbri also indirectly cast doubt on the final result.
- The backlash exploded online, fueling a petition demanding an investigation and drawing comparisons to the infamous 2002 Winter Olympic “SkateGate” scandal.
Shortly after, Italian skater Marco Fabbri appeared to question the result by implying Team USA “deserved” the gold, fueling online outrage and a petition calling for an official investigation into the matter.
“I honestly don’t get what the ice dancing judges love about the French pair. That was just a lot of arm flailing in the rhythm dance,” one furious netizen wrote.
The 2026 Winter Olympics have recently been hit with an intense judging scandal in the ice dance event
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The dispute centers on a perceived judging bias during the free dance, where five of the nine judges favored the American team, but a French judge reportedly scored their own national pair nearly eight points higher than Team USA.
This massive discrepancy allowed Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron to finish with 225.82 points, narrowly edging out Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ 224.39 during the free dance finale held at the Milano Ice Skating Arena yesterday.
Critics have since scrutinized the judging panel for allegedly overlooking errors in the French duo’s routine, which some viewers claim appeared out of sync in certain areas.
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Reports also suggested that Cizeron made a mistake during his twizzle sequence, something critics argue was not reflected in the final scores.
Meanwhile, although Madison and Evan initially remained stoic and professional during the flower and medal ceremonies, smiling, waving to fans, and posing with the U.S. flag, the emotional weight of losing the gold became apparent during post-event interviews.
According to multiple media reports, Chock and Bates were described as “blubbering” through their interviews, with both visibly crying as they tried to compose themselves while speaking to the press.
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Speaking to PEOPLE magazine, Evan said, “It's definitely a bittersweet feeling at the moment. We really did our best, and I think that is something that we'll try to remember and focus on most right now, which is that we really did our best.”
“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 it's a subjective sport, it's a judged sport, but I think one fact that is indisputable is that we delivered our best, we skated our best, we did our season's best almost every single time.”
Viewers protested that the French judge gave the French team the highest score on the panel, despite a visible technical error in their routine
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He concluded by saying, "And the rest is not up to us, but I think that we felt like we were very close. We felt like we skated a winning performance, and that's what we came here to do."
Immediately following the ceremony, Italian skater Marco Fabbri, who finished fourth in the ice dance event alongside his partner Charlène Guignard, also expressed disappointment with the final rankings.
According to Newsweek, speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Marco candidly said, “I usually prefer Laurence and Guillaume, but tonight, Chock and Bates deserved it.”
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Charlène agreed, replying simply, “I agree!”
The Italian duo’s blunt comments sparked even more chatter online, with many viewers questioning the French pair’s final scores.
One person fumed, “3 clear mistakes and judges still gave the French team level 4s. It’s just criminal.”
Another netizen wrote, “3 apparent mistakes with massive errors, the French judge should be investigated.”
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A third added, “Truly insane chock and bates had a way stronger performance than Laurence and Guillaume.”
“If you’re just tuning to ice dance for the 1st time in 4 yrs, welcome! Find your fave but beware the trash judges.”
As the uproar spread online, netizens didn’t wait for officials to respond. Instead, they took matters into their own hands, and as of today, February 12, a formal petition has been launched.
The controversy even drew comparisons to the 2002 Winter Olympics “SkateGate” scandal involving a French judge
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Hosted on Change.org, the petition has already collected over 1,550 verified signatures, calling for an immediate and independent investigation by both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Skating Union (ISU) into the judging process.
Supporters are specifically targeting the “outlier” scorecard from the French judge, who reportedly awarded their national pair a score nearly eight points higher than the American team.
Parts of the lengthy petition read, “By signing this petition, you join a collective call for transparency and accountability in Olympic judging. Our goal is to encourage the IOC and ISU to take formal steps to scrutinize the judging criteria employed during the Ice Dance event, evaluate potential bias, and ensure corrective actions are employed to address any injustices found.”
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“Let us safeguard the cherished values of trust and fairness that the Olympics represent. Your signature can help press for a future where athletes’ talents are justly recognized and celebrated. Sign this petition now to demand integrity and justice in Olympic judging!"
The petition has also fueled even more comparisons between the latest ice dance controversy and the infamous “SkateGate” scandal of 2002.
The infamous “SkateGate” scandal took place during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, when the Russian duo Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won gold despite a visible stumble during their routine.
Italian ice dancer Marco Fabbri weighed in on the scandal, cryptically casting doubt over the final scores after stating that the USA “deserved” the gold
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Meanwhile, the Canadian pair Jamie Salé and David Pelletier delivered what many viewed as a flawless performance, yet were awarded silver, sparking immediate outrage from the audience and media.
Reportedly, French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne admitted shortly after the event that she had been pressured by the head of the French skating federation to vote in favor of the Russians.
Investigations later revealed a vote-swapping deal, under which France would support Russia in the pairs event in exchange for Russian support for the French team in the ice dance competition later that week.
In an unprecedented move, the International Olympic Committee awarded a second set of gold medals to Salé and Pelletier, while the Russians were permitted to keep theirs, as there was no evidence of athlete wrongdoing.
In light of the latest controversy, one viewer commented, “Judges overscoring the French ice dance team, what else is new,” while another added, “What a joke, the judges love to reward mediocre skaters.”
“Absolutely ZERO way the French ice dancing couple beat the Americans on technical skills!”
“These results are disheartening and frustrating. If we allow favoritism… figure skating will lose not only its credibility, but also its fans,” wrote one netizen
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