Madison Chock calls for vetting of ice dance judges after controversial Olympic win

The ice dance competition of the 2026 Winter Olympics has concluded, but Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ performance continues to captivate fans. Despite narrowly missing gold by just under a point, their free dance to “Paint It Black” from Westworld was lauded as one of their finest moments on ice. Their score of 134.67 came after the rhythm dance portion where they posted a world-best score and were only 0.46 points behind France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.

Asked by CBS News if changes should be made to judging in ice dancing, Chock emphasized transparency: “It would definitely be helpful for the viewers if it’s clearer about how judges are scoring; we deserve fair assessments.” She added that she believed judges must undergo vetting to ensure they provide their best performances. “When athletes give everything out there, they deserve a level playing field,” she said.

The Americans’ win over France in the free dance was somewhat overshadowed by an incident during Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron’s twizzle element—where they made a mistake, leading to a less clean performance than Chock and Bates’. However, their artistic presentation and interpretation of the music from “The Whale” garnered high scores. The French judges scored them more generously compared to the Americans; yet, even with this margin, it was still a significant difference in scoring.

Chock reflected, “It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling at the moment. We’ve had an incredible year together as married skaters and delivered some of our best performances here.” She also noted her teammate Evan Bates’ sentiment: “Our skate felt like a winning performance to us; we’re holding on to that,” he explained.

The French pair, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron, have only been together for less than a year. However, they’ve already achieved Olympic gold after partnering with Gabriella Papadakis at the 2022 Winter Olympics. There were whispers about their partnership since Papadakis accused Cizeron of controlling behavior in what she claimed was a smear campaign against her former partner.

Fournier Beaudry, who asked for Cizeron’s hand in partnership after Sørensen’s suspension by Skate Canada (who had been accused of sexual assault), has maintained her innocence. Recently, she expressed support for her partner, indicating there could be ongoing issues within their relationship as well.

Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier secured the bronze medal with a score of 217.74 points, while Chock and Bates ended up in second place with a total of 224.39 points. The Americans are slated to participate next month at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague as reigning world champions.

The story underscores not only the skill and dedication displayed by these pairs but also the complex relationships within figure skating, which blend personal ambitions with professional competition.