Ice Dancer Madison Chock Says Judges Should Be ‘Vetted & Reviewed’ After France’s Controversial Win

After a controversial decision that left Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates just 1.43 points away from the gold medal in Ice Dancing at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the pair is not shying away from voicing their opinions on France’s controversial win.

Chock spoke to CBS News about the judges, saying that 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.”

“I think it’s also important for the skaters, that the judges be vetted and reviewed to make sure that they are also putting out their best performance,” she added, “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.”

The American duo, who are married to each other, were the favorites heading into the event, even though they were 0.46 behind the French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron after Monday’s rhythm dance competition. Chock and Bates posted a world-best score of 89.72 before France’s 90.18 topped it.

Chock and Bates earned a score of 134.67 after their free dance performance to the song “Paint It Black” from the show Westworld. Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry narrowly outscored them with a score of 135.64 after performing to the song “The Whale.”

The controversy comes as Cizeron appeared to make a mistake during a one-footed moving spin, a mistake the American pair didn’t make.

Ultimately, the French duo came out on top with a total score of 225.82, edging out the U.S., which scored 224.39. Canada took home the bronze medal with a score of 217.74.

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Article by Sam Lanier