A judge from France in the Winter Olympics is facing allegations of manipulating the figure skating competition to ensure a gold medal for her country. French skaters Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron secured the top spot with a total score of 225.82, narrowly beating Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates by just 1.43 points.
The controversy erupted when online records of French judge Jezabel Dabouis’ scores surfaced, casting doubt on the integrity of the results. Chock and Bates, who had previously won three consecutive world championships in ice dance, were expected to dominate the event in Milan.
Following the rhythm dance segment, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron were ranked first, edging out the American pair who settled for second place. Notably, the scoring discrepancies among the judges, with some favoring the French duo significantly, raised eyebrows.
Despite five judges giving higher scores to Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron, with only a slight margin separating them from Chock and Bates, Dabouis awarded her compatriots a substantial 5.74-point lead. The situation intensified after the free dance performance, where Chock and Bates received higher scores from five out of nine judges, but Dabouis notably favored the French skaters by a significant 7.71 points.
The International Skating Union responded to the backlash by assuring the public of the scoring process’s fairness, stating that score variations are normal and measures are in place to address them. Meanwhile, the American skaters expressed mixed emotions regarding the judging outcomes, emphasizing their pride in their performances and sportsmanship throughout the competition.