Team USA’s Ice Dancers Move On After Controversial Scoring

It seems Team USA’s ice dancers are starting to put behind them a contentious scoring issue that may have taken away their chance at a second gold medal during the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates opted not to pursue an appeal following a scandal that arose during the ice dance finals. A judge from France appeared to have a bias in favor of their compatriots, Laurence Fournier Baudry and Guillaume Cizeron, as reported by USA Today Sports.

In a statement, Matt Farrell, CEO of U.S. Figure Skating, mentioned, “There have been many thoughtful and sometimes emotional discussions surrounding the ice dance competition in Milan.” He added, “I look forward to working with Maddy and Evan after the Olympics to have thoughtful and intentional conversations about how best to support them and the future of the sport. For now, we plan to work with them to support the success of U.S. Figure Skating in Milan.”

Initially, Chock and Bates had indicated they might “consider” an appeal after their silver medal performance. The entire situation stemmed from a French judge giving scores that lowered the American duo’s tally while boosting the French scores.

Although the 24-hour window to contest the results from February 11 has passed, there’s still a possibility for the U.S. Figure Skating Federation to express their concerns to the International Skating Union.

Last week, French judge Jézabel Dabois faced criticism when Beaudry and Cizeron clinched gold, finishing just 1.43 points ahead of Chock and Bates with a score of 225.82.

The discrepancies in the scoring between Dabois and the other judges raised eyebrows within the skating community. Many were outraged by the outcome. After gaining some clarity on their results, Chock and Bates shared their astonishment during interviews.

Bates reflected, “I felt like we had the best performance we could. That was our Olympic moment. It felt like a victory skate for us. That’s what we’re going to hold on to.”

This experience marked Bates and Chock’s fourth appearance at the Olympics, and notably, their first medals in individual ice dance events. Beyond their silver medals, both athletes have also secured two gold medals in team competitions, including this year’s Olympic gold.