Madison Chock and Evan Bates delivered what they called a gold medal-worthy performance in ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, but walked away with silver after France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron edged them out by just 1.43 points. The razor-thin defeat, paired with eyebrow-raising judging marks from one particular panel member, has sparked heated conversation about the sport's scoring system and whether nationalism plays a role in the results.
Chock and Bates received a final combined score of 224.39 for a magnificent performance, but France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron topped it with a score of 225.82. Here's where things get controversial: A French judge rated the winning French team much higher, giving them a score 5.74 points higher than Chock and Bates in the rhythm dance. In the free dance portion on Wednesday, the same French judge rated Cizeron and Beaudry 7.71 points higher than Chock and Bates—a staggering margin when five of the nine judges scored Chock and Bates first in the free dance. That single outlier score effectively erased the narrow lead the American pair had built with the other judges.
How did the American duo respond? With class. Chock said "We've certainly gone through a roller coaster of emotions, especially in the last 24 hours," adding that what they'll take away "is how we felt right after our skates and how proud we were of what we accomplished". This marked their fourth Olympic Games together, and in a partnership that had seen them win three world championships and seven national titles, in addition to securing their second Olympic team gold over the weekend, the individual gold medal was all that remained.
A spokesperson for the International Skating Union said "It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges in any panel" and "The ISU has full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness." Meanwhile, when asked if they'd consider an appeal, Chock said they'd consider it, noting that "for fairness, it is good when the judges are reviewed for their work and not just after this competition, but every competition". The controversy adds to an already dramatic day of competition—check out all the Olympic action from Day 5.