The 2026 Winter Olympics ice dance competition ended with France taking gold, but many fans continue to debate the outcome after Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished just 1.43 points behind.
Chock and Bates entered the free dance as favorites despite trailing France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron by 0.46 points after the rhythm dance. The Americans scored 89.72 in the rhythm dance, while the French team earned 90.18.
Madison Chock Calls for Transparent Ice Dance Judging
When asked by CBS News whether changes should be made to ice dance judging, Chock said greater clarity would benefit both viewers and athletes.
“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,” Chock said.
She added, “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, 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.”
In ice dance, each element carries a base value and a grade of execution. Judges also score artistic presentation and interpretation of the music, categories that can significantly affect final totals.
Free Dance Scores and Twizzle Controversy
In the free dance, Chock and Bates performed to “Paint It Black” from the television series “Westworld” and earned 134.67 points. Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron skated to music from “The Whale” and received 135.64.
During the French team’s program, Cizeron appeared to make a mistake on a twizzle, a one-footed moving spin. The pair was not significantly marked down for the error. Their total score reached 225.82, compared to Chock and Bates’ 224.39. Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier won bronze with 217.74.
Five of the nine judges favored the Americans in their scoring. One French judge scored Chock and Bates more than seven points lower than the French team, a notable gap in a sport where fractions often determine medals.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates Say Performance ‘Felt Like a Winning Skate’
After the competition, Chock described the result as bittersweet.
“It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling at the moment,” she said. “We have had the most incredible year — 15 years on the ice together; first Olympics as a married couple. And we delivered four of our best performances this week. I think we’re really proud of how we handled ourselves here and what we accomplished.”
Bates echoed that sentiment the following day. “It was our absolute best performance,” he said, according to The Associated Press. He added that he and Chock had not studied the detailed scores and that their skate “felt like a winning skate to us and that’s what we’re going to hold on to.”
Fournier Beaudry & Cizeron Brought More Controversy Than Just Scoring
Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron formed their partnership less than a year ago following the end of their previous pairings, according to a report from The Guardian. Nikolaj Sørensen, who previously skated with Fournier Beaudry and is dating her, was suspended in 2024 by Canada’s governing body over sexual misconduct allegations he denied. That suspension was overturned in 2025 on jurisdictional grounds.
The 31-year-old Guillaume Cizeron has also faced allegations from his former ice dance partner, Gabriella Papadakis. The two began skating together as children and went on to win Olympic gold at the 2022 Beijing Games. In her memoir, “So as Not to Disappear,” released in France last month, Papadakis described Cizeron as “often controlling, demanding and critical.”
She wrote that she refused to skate with him unless a coach was present and accused him of displaying “blood-chilling coldness,” adding that she felt “terrified by the idea of finding myself alone with him.”
Cizeron has strongly denied the allegations, calling them a “smear campaign,” and has reportedly issued a cease-and-desist letter in response.
Chock and Bates remain the reigning world champions. The 2026 World Figure Skating Championships are scheduled for next month in Prague, and the Americans are expected to compete.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates Break Silence on Controversial Olympic Loss