Milan controversy: ISU defends judging after furious medal outcry
The International Skating Union has steadfastly defended the ice dance scoring at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, despite a French judge’s marks playing a decisive role in denying the United States gold.
Controversy erupted in Milan after marks awarded by judge Jezabel Dabouis helped Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron defeat American rivals Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
Dabouis favored the French duo by nearly eight points over the three-time world champions in the free dance segment.
Statistical analysis suggests that if the French official’s score were removed entirely, Chock and Bates would have topped the podium.
‘Complete commitment to fairness’
The global governing body has moved quickly to dismiss allegations of impropriety regarding the final results.
In a statement, the ISU insisted that variations in scoring across a panel are standard practice within the sport.
“It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judge in any panel and a number of mechanism are used to mitigate these variations.”
The organisation added that it holds “full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness.”
Despite the reassurance, the silver medallists from the United States have little recourse if the federation refuses to investigate the discrepancy further.
‘A disservice to our sport’
This is not the first instance where Dabouis has awarded favourable marks to Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron.
At the Grand Prix Final in December, the same official scored the Americans narrowly ahead in the free dance, despite the French pair suffering two deductions and a significant fall.
Chock, who had already secured a team gold earlier in the Games, expressed frustration at the lack of clarity for spectators.
“Any time the public is confused by results, it does a disservice to our sport.”
The veteran skater believes that such confusion alienates the fanbase.
“I think it’s hard to retain fans when it’s difficult to understand what is happening on the ice.”
Echoes of Salt Lake City
The current judging storm has drawn uncomfortable comparisons to the sport’s most notorious scandal.
During the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, a French judge was found guilty of misconduct after allegations of vote-swapping involving Russian and Canadian pairs.
That incident led to the suspension of Marie-Reine Le Gougne and a complete overhaul of the scoring system two years later.
While the 6.0 system was scrapped to reduce subjectivity, critics argue the current component score model still allows for confusing discrepancies.