A French judge at the Winter Olympics is under scrutiny following allegations of favoritism toward her compatriots in the figure skating competition.
Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates were left heartbroken after narrowly missing gold to France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
The American duo, who described their performance as “flawless,” were visibly emotional during post-event interviews.
Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron clinched gold with a total score of 225.82, edging the Americans by just 1.43 points. Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier captured the bronze medal.
Controversy erupted after an analysis of the scoring revealed notable discrepancies in French judge Jezabel Dabouis’ marks. In the free dance, Dabouis awarded the French pair 137.45 points—the second-highest on the judging panel—but gave Team USA 129.74 points, the only score below 130. Had the American team crossed that threshold, the final margin would have been even tighter.
By contrast, U.S. and Chinese judges gave Chock and Bates scores of 137.67 and 136.95, respectively. Dabouis’ scoring gap between the French and American teams—nearly eight points—was far larger than that of any other judge.
In the free dance segment, five of nine judges ranked the American duo first, while four placed France at the top. Dabouis also ranked France highest in the rhythm dance at 93.34, nearly six points more than her score for Team USA, which was among the lowest on the panel.
Across both segments, no judge placed Chock and Bates lower than second, with three giving them first place, while judges from Great Britain and Germany ranked France third in portions of the competition.
Observers noted that the American judge was excluded from the rhythm dance panel, while Dabouis remained, further fueling debate over impartiality.
The scoring discrepancies have sparked widespread discussion on social media, with fans calling for an official investigation. One user wrote, “There must be an investigation!” while another labeled the event a “judging scandal.”
The International Skating Union has yet to comment on the allegations.
