Olympic Silver Medalist Madison Chock Calls for ‘Transparent Judging’ as Skating Scores Are Questioned

After Team USA ice dancing duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished in second place in ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, people are questioning this year’s judging.

Chock and Bates, who were favorites for gold, took home the silver medal. French ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron won gold, finishing just more than one point ahead of Team USA.

A recent Change.org petition calling for “transparency and accountability in Olympic judging” has nearly 15,000 signatures while Chock, 33, herself also expressed that she’d like to see the playing field remain fair going forward.

When Chock and Bates, 36, were asked by CBS News if they’d like to see any changes in the way that ice dance is judged in the future, Chock said, “I think it would definitely be helpful if it’s more understandable for the viewers to just see more transparent judging and understanding [in] 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 because there’s a lot on the line for the skaters when they’re out there giving it their all,” she continued. “We deserve to have the judges also giving us their all and for it to be a fair and even playing field.”

In recent days, French judge Jezabel Dabouis came under fire for favoring Beaudry, 33, and Cizeron, 31, by nearly eight points. According to the Associated Press, if her score was removed, Chock and Bates would have won gold.

The International Skating Union stands by the judge, saying in a statement, “It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges in any panel and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations. The ISU has full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness.”

Still, Chock and Bates admit to feeling disappointment coming in second place — but remain proud of their performance on the ice.

“I think there were a lot of emotions flooding through us yesterday. I think there was some disappointment for sure,” Chock said in an interview with People, published on Friday, February 13, as she appeared to get choked up.

“It’s been a long journey, but I certainly have a lot of pride for what we have accomplished, and who we’ve become on the way to those accomplishments,” she added. “So in general, [we’re feeling] gratitude.”