ISU Backs Olympics Ice Dance Judge amid Scoring Controversy After Chock, Bates Win Silver Medal

The International Skating Union is supporting the judge whose scores played a key role in the American duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates finishing second to Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France in the ice dance at the 2026 Olympics.

At the center of the controversy was the free dance in which the French judge scored Chock and Bates' routine significantly lower than Beaudry and Cizeron.

In a statement released on Friday, the ISU said it is not uncommon to have a wide scoring variance from the judges:

"It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judge in any panel and a number of mechanism are used to mitigate these variations," the ISU said. The statement also noted it has "full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness."

Adding to the controversy is that the judge, Jezabel Dabouis, previously came under scrutiny for her scoring of both pairs at the Grand Prix Final in December.

Chock and Bates won gold at that event, but Dabouis' scorecard had them squeaking past Beaudry and Cizeron even though the French pair had two deductions due to a fall and an extended lift during thieir routine.

Speaking to USA Today's Jordan Mendoza about the scoring issue, Chock explained the situation "does a disservice" to the sport:

"Any time the public is confused by results, it does a disservice to our sport. It's hard to retain fans when it's difficult to understand what is happening on the ice. I think there needs to be a lot more clarity for the skaters, for the coaches and for the audience, in order to just have a solid fan base moving forward. People need to understand what they're cheering for and be able to feel confident in the sport that they're supporting."

Despite the controversy over the scoring, the Associated Press noted there is "little recourse" to challenge the result if the ISU is unwilling to investigate the discrepancy.

Chock and Bates entered the Olympics as the frontrunners to win gold. They entered the Winter Games with three straight victories at the World Championships and Grand Prix finals from 2023 to '25.

The Americans do still have a gold medal at the 2026 Games for their efforts. They were part of the U.S. squad that won the team event.