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But when the French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron took the ice last, the outcome changed. The judges handed them 225.82 points—just 1.43 points more than the Americans—giving France the gold.
What sparked outrage was one judge’s score: a nearly eight-point advantage for Beaudry and Cizeron in the free dance. That judge hailed from France. Despite five of nine judges placing Chock and Bates first overall, this single inflated score, combined with two other marginally favorable scores for the French team, pushed the home team to gold.
The International Skating Union (ISU) insists it stands by its judges. They issued a statement saying they have “full confidence” in the scores and remain “completely committed to fairness.” Critics, however, are unconvinced.
Fans of figure skating may recall a scandal from Salt Lake City in 2002. French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne admitted she had been pressured by her national federation to favor Russia over Canada, despite the Canadians skating cleanly. The uproar, later called “Skategate,” forced a global overhaul of judging protocols. Yet here we are, 24 years later, witnessing eerily similar patterns—but with a new French judge.
Former U.S. gymnastics champion Jennifer Sey didn’t hold back on solutions. “There has been corruption in Olympic level judged sports forever. In gymnastics, boxing and figure skating,” she said. “There needs to be more careful selection of judges to vet for susceptibility to corruption, and more transparency in how scores are derived. Beyond that, corrupt judges need to be punished with hefty fines to discourage this cheating in the future.”
Right now, there are no financial penalties for judges whose biased scoring robs athletes of their dreams. Skinner knows this personally. In the 2016 Olympic Trials, she finished fourth in the all-around, a spot that traditionally earned a team selection—but that year, the rules shifted.
“I learned firsthand that sometimes things don’t always feel fair in judged sports,” Skinner said. “But that’s exactly why transparency and consistency matter so much. Athletes deserve clarity and confidence that their work will be evaluated evenly.”
Research confirms what athletes have long suspected: national bias runs rampant in judged sports, from figure skating to gymnastics, diving, and ski jumping. Studies show judges from countries with higher corruption levels tend to score their own athletes more favorably. Even worse, in figure skating, judges often amplify their colleagues’ national preferences rather than offsetting them.
Chock and Bates are no strangers to delayed justice. They earned team gold at Beijing 2022 but didn’t receive their medals until Paris 2024, after Russian skater Kamila Valieva’s doping violation was revealed. Now, again, their Olympic triumph is in question.
Chock told Access Hollywood they may appeal the results. “I think skating is such a subjective sport, but I do think that for fairness it is good when the judges are reviewed for their work,” she said. “Not just after this competition but every competition to just make sure there’s a fair and even playing field for all athletes.”
Bates praised those speaking out on their behalf. Skeleton Olympian Katie Uhlaender, who was also denied fair opportunity at Milan Cortina, added, “I’m so proud of Evan and Madison. I know how hard they fought for Gold in 2022, a fight that took years beyond the podium. They represented the United States well and deserved a moment on the podium at the Games as the Olympic Champions they are.”
The ISU can continue defending their scores. But when multiple Olympic medalists, from gymnastics to figure skating, call out cheating—not bias, not subjectivity, but cheating—the message is clear: America’s athletes are still being robbed, and the system isn’t changing fast enough.
