Were Americans Denied Gold at the 2026 Olympics?
At the 2026 Olympics held in Milan, a fierce debate erupted over the judging of the ice dancing competition. American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates narrowly lost the gold medal to French skaters Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron by just 1.43 points. This outcome ignited allegations of biased judging, predominantly targeting the French judge, Jézabel Dabois.
Close Call for American Figure Skaters
Chock and Bates delivered a stunning performance themed around a toreador, showcasing their skill and artistry. However, despite their score of 130 points, which was lower than the French pair’s, the American competitors still garnered notable support. Five out of the nine judges rated Chock and Bates higher than their French counterparts.
- American judge Janis Engel rated Chock and Bates the highest overall.
- As controversy brewed, it was revealed that Dabois scored Chock and Bates at the lowest for program components while favoring Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron.
- Eight judges scored Chock and Bates over 130 points.
Understanding Olympic Scoring
The current figure skating judging system, known as the International Judging System (IJS), was implemented after a scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. This system aims to eliminate subjectivity by evaluating performances based on two categories: technical elements and program components.
Technical elements receive base values based on difficulty, with points added or subtracted based on execution. Program components focus on artistry, using a more subjective scoring method. The average of the remaining scores determines the final result, after removing the highest and lowest marks.
National Bias in Judging
Analysis of the scores revealed that many judges displayed national bias, a trend noted in previous studies. A significant number of judges, five from the panel of nine, showed statistical evidence of favoring skaters from their own countries. This raises questions about impartiality and the integrity of the judging process.
- The Finnish judge displayed less bias compared to other judges.
- A research paper presented at the 2020 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference found evidence of endemic nationalistic bias.
- One judge was previously suspended for showing favoritism towards Chinese skaters.
Future Solutions
As discussions continue regarding the fairness of the judging system, several solutions have been proposed. These include allowing neutral judges to take the place of biased ones and implementing additional monitoring systems to oversee judges’ performances over time. The goal is to enhance the transparency and credibility of Olympic figure skating competitions.
The controversy surrounding Chock and Bates’ performance highlights significant challenges that still need addressing in figure skating. With growing scrutiny on judging practices, it’s clear that improvements are necessary to uphold the integrity of Olympic competitions.
