Team USA Ice Dancers Claim 'Robbery' After Silver Medal

Fans draw comparisons to infamous 2002 'Skategate' judging scandal at Salt Lake City Olympics.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Team USA fans are outraged over ice dancing duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates' silver medal finish at the 2026 Winter Olympics, claiming the couple was "robbed" of the gold by biased judging. Many fans are drawing comparisons to the "Skategate" scandal that rocked the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where a French judge was found guilty of misconduct for favoring a Russian pair over a Canadian duo. While Chock and Bates have not alleged any wrongdoing, their supporters are furious over the French judge scoring the American pair significantly lower than the other judges.

Why it matters

The controversy over the ice dancing competition at the 2026 Olympics highlights the ongoing challenges with judging subjectivity in figure skating events. The "Skategate" scandal two decades ago led to major reforms in the scoring system, but this latest incident suggests there are still perceptions of bias and unfairness in the judging process.

The details

In the decisive free dance on Wednesday, Chock and Bates were in a virtual tie with the French pair of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. However, the French judge gave Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron eight more points than the American judge gave Chock and Bates, the largest gap of any judge on the panel. This scoring disparity has fueled accusations of bias from outraged Team USA fans, who feel the American duo was robbed of the gold medal.

  • On Wednesday, Chock and Bates competed in the decisive free dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
  • In 2002, the "Skategate" judging scandal occurred at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

The players

Madison Chock and Evan Bates

An American ice dancing couple who won the silver medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron

A French ice dancing pair who won the gold medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Jamie Salé and David Pelletier

A Canadian pair figure skating duo who were originally awarded the silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics before a judging scandal led to them being awarded the gold medal.

Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze

A Russian pair figure skating duo who were originally awarded the gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics before a judging scandal led to them being allowed to keep the medal.

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What they’re saying

“In my personal opinion I think [team] USA was robbed by France.”

— Anonymous Reddit user (Reddit)

“Score for Chock and Bates from the French judge was THREE points lower than from any other judge. Only judge to not give them over 130.”

— Anonymous Reddit user (Reddit)

“It's like we learned nothing from Salt Lake.”

— Anonymous Reddit user (Reddit)

What’s next

A petition has been launched on Change.org to investigate the judges who gave the French couple the gold on Wednesday. The International Skating Union may also review the scoring and judging process for the ice dancing competition.

The takeaway

The controversy over the ice dancing competition at the 2026 Olympics highlights the ongoing challenges with judging subjectivity in figure skating. While reforms were made after the "Skategate" scandal, perceptions of bias and unfairness in the judging process persist, sparking outrage from fans and renewed calls for greater transparency and accountability in Olympic figure skating.