American figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates would reportedly “consider” an appeal following their silver medal performance in the ice dancing final at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics amid a controversial scoring decision.
“I suppose we would consider it,’’ Chock said while speaking to Access Hollywood. “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. Not just after this competition but every competition to just make sure there’s a fair and even playing field for all athletes.”
The chances of a reversal are still slim despite public outcry over French judge Jezabel Dabouis favoring the French team’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron by a wide margin while the other two scored both teams significantly closer. The International Skating Union had declined to investigate the incident as of Friday (February 13).
“It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges in any panel and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations,” the union said via ESPN.
The ISU also said that it had “full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness” in the statement. The timing also plays a factor as the Court of Arbitration said prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics that matters would get resolved “within hours” of the event.
Chock and Bates, who are married, would’ve won gold without the French judge’s outlier score.
“It would definitely be helpful if it’s more understandable for the viewers, to just see more transparent judging and understand … what’s really going on,” Chock said after the final, calling for the judges’ performances to be reviewed via CBS News.
“Because there’s a lot on the line for the skaters when they’re out there giving it their all, and we deserve to have the judges also giving us their all and for it to be a fair and even playing field,” she added.
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