February 13, 2026
International Skating Union defends controversial Olympic judging that denied Americans ice dance gold medal
The International Skating Union issued a defense of a controversial Olympic judge after Madison Chock and Evan Bates fell short of the gold medal by a narrow margin to the French duo in ice dance.
TL;DR
- The ISU defended a judge's controversial score that led to Madison Chock and Evan Bates winning silver instead of gold in Olympic ice dance.
- Skater Madison Chock called for more transparency in judging and for judges to be vetted and reviewed.
- Chock stated that she and Bates would 'consider' an appeal, emphasizing the need for a fair and even playing field.
- Critics find the judging system confusing and subjective, leading to a Change.org petition asking for an investigation into the scoring controversy.
- If one judge's score was removed, Chock and Bates would have won the gold medal.
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