Allegations of Bias Against French Judge at Winter Olympics Figure Skating

A judge from France at the Winter Olympics is under scrutiny after accusations emerged suggesting she influenced the figure skating competition's results to benefit her fellow countrymen.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, representing Team USA, were left heartbroken after narrowly finishing second to Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France. The American team felt they had executed a "flawless, gold- medal performance," with Chock visibly emotional during her post-competition interview.

Ultimately, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron secured the gold medal with a total score of 225.82, triumphing over the Americans by a mere 1.43 points. Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier took home the bronze medal.

The situation became contentious after score sheets were made public, revealing discrepancies in how the event was scored. Judge Jezabel Dabouis awarded the French duo a score of 137.45 in the free dance, the second-highest given by any official. However, she was unique in her decision not to score the Americans higher than 129.74, despite other judges scoring them significantly above 130 points, which would have considerably tightened the competition.

This scoring disparity has attracted attention, as judges from both the United States and China assigned notably high marks of 137.67 and 136.95 to Chock and Bates. Dabouis' scoring gap between the French team and the Americans was almost eight points, far greater than that from any other judge on the panel.

In the free dance segment, five out of the nine judges rated the American pair highest, while only four favored the French couple. Additionally, in the rhythm dance, Dabouis again gave the top score to France, awarding them 93.34 points—almost six points more than she granted the U.S., which was the second- lowest score given by any judge.

Throughout the competition, no judge ranked the American duo lower than second, with three placing them in the top position. Conversely, judges from Great Britain and Germany ranked France third at certain points during the event.

Despite the mixed rankings, the French pair managed to finish on top. Notably, the American judge was excluded from the rhythm dance scoring panel, while Dabouis remained to judge the event.

The discrepancies in scoring have led to accusations circulating on social media, with many fans demanding an inquiry and labeling the outcome a "judging scandal."

One social media user remarked: "There must be an investigation!"

Another added: "This situation is undoubtedly a judging scandal."