A Winter Olympics figure skating judge from France is facing accusations of bias towards her country’s team, leading to the gold medal win for France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron with a total score of 225.82. The controversy arose when the scores of French judge Jezabel Dabouis were revealed online.
In the ice dance competition, skaters perform two routines over two days: the rhythm dance and the free dance. Despite Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates being favored due to winning three consecutive world championships, they ended up in second place after the rhythm dance, where Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron received higher scores.
Notably, five out of six judges who rated Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron’s routine the highest still had Chock and Bates close behind. However, Dabouis awarded significantly more points to the French pair, raising concerns about fairness in judging.
Following the completion of the free dance, five judges favored Chock and Bates. However, Dabouis once again gave a notably higher score to Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron, causing further scrutiny of the judging process.
The International Skating Union responded to the backlash by stating that variations in scores are normal among judges and that mechanisms are in place to address such discrepancies. They affirmed their confidence in the judging process and commitment to fairness.
In an interview with NBC News, Chock and Bates expressed mixed emotions about the judging outcomes but highlighted their pride in their performances at the Olympic Games. Bates acknowledged the subjective nature of the sport and the unpredictability of outcomes.
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