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Figure Skating Controversy Resurfaces Four Years After Beijing Olympics

  //sports-competition.news-articles.net/content/2 .. esurfaces-four-years-after-beijing-olympics.html
  Published in Sports and Competition on Saturday, February 14th 2026 at 2:23 GMT by nbcnews.com
      Locales: CHINA, UNITED STATES, FRANCE

Beijing, February 14th, 2026 - The legacy of the 2022 Winter Olympics continues to reverberate through the figure skating world, with renewed scrutiny falling on judging practices following a resurfaced controversy surrounding the scoring of American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates. While the pair ultimately achieved success in subsequent competitions, finishing as World Champions in 2023 and 2024, the questions surrounding their fourth-place finish in Beijing remain, particularly concerning the unusually high score awarded by one French judge.

During the 2022 Olympic ice dance competition, Chock and Bates earned a score of 97.32 from one of the nine judges--a mark significantly higher than the range received from the other eight. Their overall rhythm dance scores (92.04, 91.66, 92.33, 93.78 and 97.32) drew attention, especially when compared to the scores received by then-dominant Canadian duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Virtue and Moir, considered by many to be the greatest ice dance team of all time, achieved a high score of 93.53 with their range falling between 86.76 and 93.53. Chock and Bates surpassing this benchmark, even if only by a single point, with a single judge's outlier score, initially raised eyebrows.

The issue gained traction when an anonymous source brought the scoring discrepancy to light on social media in February 2022, immediately igniting a firestorm of debate among figure skating fans. Many pointed to the long-standing rivalry between the United States and France in ice dance as a potential influencing factor. France had held the Olympic gold medal in the discipline for the previous two Games (2014 and 2018), with Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron ultimately securing gold in Beijing. The suggestion was that national interests might have unduly influenced the judging panel.

At the time, the International Skating Union (ISU) remained silent on the matter, a decision that fueled speculation and distrust. While the ISU has implemented changes to its judging system over the years - including the introduction of a more detailed technical panel and increased transparency in scoring breakdowns - concerns about potential bias continue to linger. These changes, prompted by numerous judging scandals in years prior, haven't entirely quelled the anxieties of athletes, coaches, and fans.

Now, four years after the event, the controversy has been revisited as experts are analysing the impact of judging on competitive outcomes. A recently published independent statistical analysis suggests that the outlier score awarded to Chock and Bates was statistically improbable, given the established judging patterns of that specific judge. The analysis, conducted by Dr. Anya Sharma, a sports statistician specializing in figure skating, found a less than 1% chance of such a high score being awarded based on the judge's historical data.

"While we can't definitively prove intentional bias," Dr. Sharma explained in her report, "the data strongly suggests that the score deviated significantly from the judge's typical scoring range, and was an outlier that disproportionately benefited the American team."

The implications of this potential bias are significant. While Chock and Bates continued to achieve success, finishing just off the podium in Beijing leaves a lingering question mark over the fairness of the competition. The situation highlights the inherent challenges of subjective judging in a sport reliant on artistic interpretation and nuanced performance.

Furthermore, the renewed debate raises important questions about the ISU's responsibility to ensure impartial judging. Calls for greater transparency, including the public release of judging panel assignments well in advance of competitions and detailed explanations of scoring decisions, are growing louder. Some suggest employing a more automated scoring system for technical elements, reducing the scope for subjective interpretation. The argument is that a hybrid approach - combining automated technical scoring with human assessment of artistry and performance quality - could strike a balance between objectivity and the celebration of athletic artistry.

As the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina approach, the pressure is on the ISU to address these concerns and demonstrate its commitment to fair and transparent judging, ensuring that the results reflect the true skill and artistry of the athletes.