A judge from France allegedly manipulated the figure skating scores to ensure a gold medal for her country at the Winter Olympics. Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France secured 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.
Controversy arose after the online revelation of the scoring by French judge Jezabel Dabouis in the ice dance competition, where skaters perform two routines over two days – the rhythm dance and the free dance. Chock and Bates, who had won three consecutive world championships, were favored to win in Milan.
Following the rhythm dance segment, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron were placed first by the judges, with Chock and Bates settling for second. Notably, there was a notable discrepancy in scores among the judges, with five judges ranking the French pair highest. Dabouis awarded her compatriots significantly more points than Chock and Bates, raising suspicions.
In the free dance round, five out of nine judges ranked Chock and Bates as the best performers, yet Dabouis gave a significantly higher score to Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron. The International Skating Union defended the scores, asserting confidence in the judging fairness despite the backlash.
Subsequently, Chock and Bates expressed their emotional journey amidst the controversy, highlighting their pride in their performances and sportsmanship. Bates acknowledged the subjective nature of the sport, emphasizing the unpredictability of outcomes.
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