Ice dance controversy: Inside French scoring, allegations - ESPN
ESPN
by D'Arcy MaineFebruary 13, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
The Winter Olympics ice dance competition has been thrown into controversy following France's narrow victory over the heavily favored American team. Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France secured gold by a margin of 1.43 points, despite noticeable errors in their performances and allegations of biased judging. The outcome has sparked criticism, with many questioning the fairness of the scoring system and potential nationalism among judges.
Key to the争议 is the performance of the French judge, Jezabel Dabouis, who awarded France a notably higher score than other panel members while significantly undervaluing the American duo. This pattern was also observed in previous competitions, raising concerns about her impartiality. Additionally, other judges, such as the Italian judge, faced accusations of favoring their own teams, further fueling debates about consistency and fairness.
The American skaters, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, expressed their
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Originally published on ESPN on 2/13/2026