MILAN — On Wednesday, France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron clinched the Olympic gold medal in ice dance, just surpassing pre-competition favorites Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the United States — and the debate surrounding the result continues.
Both couples achieved their best scores of the season in the free dance, yet Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron triumphed over Chock and Bates by a mere 1.43 points after two days of performances. Chock and Bates, who have held the world championship title three times, expressed clear disappointment after receiving their scores and remained emotional throughout the medal ceremony and during subsequent media engagements. Bates described their routine as their “gold medal performance,” and both skaters expressed pride in their performance on the ice.
While Chock and Bates have maintained a gracious attitude when discussing the judging of the event, the results have elicited backlash, igniting discussions about potential bias and inconsistencies.
Here’s a closer look at the judging irregularities and the controversies surrounding the French duo.
What makes people think the result was unjust?
After Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron received the highest marks in the rhythm dance segment on Monday, despite noticeable synchronization flaws during their twizzles and a clean skate from Chock and Bates, speculation about bias emerged.
This discussion intensified following the free dance, where Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron again displayed visible twizzle errors, while Chock and Bates executed their elements flawlessly.
Concerns arose regarding the scores from certain judges, with the French judge, Jezabel Dabouis, attracting particular scrutiny. She awarded Chock and Bates a free dance score of 129.74, the lowest among the nine judges, more than five points below average, while giving Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron a score of 137.45, nearly three points above the panel’s average.
Dabouis also drew attention for her scores at the Grand Prix Finals in December, favoring the Americans by only a small margin despite visible mistakes from Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron.
plus, the scores from the Italian judge raised eyebrows, particularly for placing the Italian couple, Marco Fabbri and Charlene Guignard, in a questionable top-three position despite errors.
What reactions have been expressed?
Chock and Bates have been measured in their responses, reiterating that they felt they performed to the best of their abilities.
“Life is like that … sometimes, you feel you’ve done everything right, yet it doesn’t go your way. That’s life, and that’s sports,” Bates shared on NBC after the event. “It’s a judged sport, and there’s subjectivity involved. even so, one undeniable fact is that we delivered our best, performed at our highest level, and achieved season’s best scores almost every time. The rest is beyond our control.”
In a CBS interview on Thursday, Chock mentioned her belief in the need for proper vetting of judges.
“There’s so much at stake for skaters giving their all, and we deserve judges who bring their best to ensure a fair competition,” she stated.
She further expressed her concern that confusion regarding the outcome “undermines our sport.”
Others have voiced their views more vocally. Even Fabbri, who narrowly missed a podium finish with Guignard, expressed his sentiments post-competition.
“I typically favor Laurence and Guillaume,” Fabbri remarked to reporters. “But tonight, Chock and Bates deserved [the gold medal].”
Guignard agreed. Fellow American ice dancer Emilea Zingas, who finished fifth with her partner Vadym Kolesnik, shared a similar perspective with the media.
“They skated beautifully today,” she noted. “I’m disappointed they didn’t take home the gold; they’re my favorites. If it were up to me, I’d award them the gold.”
A fan petition has emerged on Change.org, calling on the International Skating Union to investigate the judging. As of this writing, it has garnered over 15,000 signatures.
Simply BEAUTIFUL. This is what 15 years of skating together looks like. 😍 pic.twitter.com/UQhpVEBB90
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2026
Has the ISU issued a response?
The ISU released a statement on Friday supporting the scoring.
“A range of scores from different judges is typical in any panel, and various mechanisms are in place to address these variations,” the ISU stated.
The organization expressed its “full confidence in the scores provided and is wholly dedicated to maintaining fairness.”
Who are Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron?
The French pair at the center of the controversy has a history with scandal.
Fournier Beaudry previously represented Canada with Nikolaj Sorensen, who is also her romantic partner, before his six-year suspension from the sport due to sexual assault allegations. She has publicly supported him, despite the case’s ongoing status after being overturned on jurisdictional grounds in June.
Cizeron won Olympic gold in 2022 with his former partner Gabriella Papadakis, who has since retired and released a book this year describing him as “controlling” and “demanding.” Cizeron has dismissed her claims as a “smear campaign.”
Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron announced their partnership last year amid scrutiny and have now completed their first season together. She obtained her French citizenship in November. The duo secured two Grand Prix titles and the European Championships before arriving at the Olympics — an unusual achievement for such a new partnership.
They train at the Ice Academy of Montreal alongside Chock and Bates, both of whom share the same coaching team: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer. Chock mentioned feeling “blindsided” by Cizeron’s return and his new partnership.
“They informed us just a day prior to their official training start, and it was quite a lot to take in initially,” Bates shared with NBC ahead of the Olympics.
Olympic gold for Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/fBHi3cjErQ
— Embassy of France in the U.S. (@franceintheus) February 12, 2026
Have there been additional judging issues in ice dance?
in fact. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, the two-time reigning world runners-up who secured the bronze medal on Wednesday, have openly challenged the scoring inconsistencies seen throughout the season.
Gilles voiced her criticisms of the technical panel during the Grand Prix event in Finland last November and later expressed her frustrations about the judging at the Grand Prix Final on social media. She posted that many athletes in the sport were being “diminished and manipulated by those with agendas,” tagging the International Skating Union.
Even Cizeron expressed his discontent at the same Grand Prix event in Finland.
“Certainly, I’m upset,” Cizeron conveyed during a news conference. “I see some strange games unfolding that threaten the integrity of ice dance. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a competition like this from a judging perspective in my career.”
There have also been notable previous instances of judged inconsistencies in figure skating. One of the most infamous cases involved a French judge.
At the 2002 Olympics, Russian pair skaters Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won gold over Canada’s Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. Allegations of vote-swapping and selling emerged against French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne, leading to an ISU investigation. She was found guilty and received a suspension. Sale and Pelletier were ultimately awarded the gold medal.
