A judge from France at the Winter Olympics is facing allegations of bias in the figure skating competition to favor her country’s team, resulting in them securing the gold medal. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron claimed the gold with a total score of 225.82, narrowly edging out Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates by just 1.43 points.
The controversy arose when the scores of French judge Jezabel Dabouis were revealed online, casting doubt on the fairness of the outcome. Chock and Bates, who had previously won three consecutive world championships in ice dance, were expected to perform well in Milan.
During the rhythm dance segment, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron were ranked first by the judges, with Chock and Bates settling for second place. While five judges favored the French team, only three placed the Americans at the top, leading to noticeable discrepancies in scoring.
Despite five of the six judges giving the highest score to Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron, with Chock and Bates trailing closely within 3.5 points, Judge Dabouis notably awarded her compatriots a significantly higher score of 5.74 points over the Americans.
In the free dance round, five out of nine judges rated Chock and Bates as the best performers. However, Dabouis stood out by awarding Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron a substantial 7.71 points more than their American counterparts.
The International Skating Union responded to the backlash by asserting confidence in the judging panel’s scores and emphasizing their commitment to fairness. Following the event, Chock and Bates expressed their roller coaster of emotions but emphasized their pride in their performances and sportsmanship throughout the competition.
Bates reflected on the subjective nature of the sport, acknowledging that sometimes despite one’s best efforts, outcomes may not always align with expectations. In other news, Sky has enhanced its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to include popular streaming services alongside comprehensive coverage of sports events, including the Premier League.
