French Judge Accused of Rigging After Figure Skating Gold at Winter Olympics
Rigging accusations have erupted against judge Jézabel Dabouis within hours of the French ice dance pair's Winter Olympics gold medal becoming official. The controversy centers on the narrow victory of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron over American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates by just 1.43 points, with scores of 225.82 to 224.39.
Narrow Victory Sparks Immediate Controversy
Chock and Bates believed they had delivered a flawless, gold-medal performance, only to be left fighting tears as Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron celebrated an emotional victory. However, their triumph soon turned to controversy right after the breakdown of the judging panel surfaced online, revealing questionable scoring patterns.
In the free dance segment, Jézabel Dabouis awarded Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron 137.45 points, the second-highest score from any judge on the panel. She gave Chock and Bates 129.74 points, making her the only member not to score the Americans above 130. The gap between her scores for France and the United States approached eight points, wider than any other judge.
Judging Patterns Under Scrutiny
The scoring breakdown shows that five of the nine judges ranked the Americans first in the free dance, while four placed France on top. A similar pattern emerged in the rhythm dance, where Dabouis scored France 93.34, nearly six points higher than her mark of 87.6 for the United States, which ranked among her lowest of the night.
Collin Rugg highlighted the issue on social media, writing, "French judge Jezabel Dabouis accused of rigging figure skating event against the United States to give France a gold medal. Viewers were shocked when France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron took gold over America's Madison Chock & Evan Bates."
Fan Outrage and Calls for Reform
Fans quickly shared their thoughts online, expressing frustration and demanding change. One user suggested, "Maybe countries shouldn't have judges in the same events as their athletes." Another added, "Figure skating has struggled with judging controversy for years. Maybe it’s time for full score transparency and independent review panels." A separate post read, "Olympic scoring is all political…we’ve known that for years."
Background Raises Further Questions
The scrutiny extends beyond the numbers, as Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron formed their partnership less than a year ago. Over the past 12 months, Dabouis has judged six of their competitions, five of which they won, raising eyebrows among observers about potential bias.
Off the ice, both skaters have faced public controversy. Fournier Beaudry has defended her boyfriend and former partner Nikolaj Sorensen following his suspension related to allegations he denied, stating in the Netflix series Glitter & Gold that she felt like "collateral damage." Cizeron has also rejected allegations made by former partner Gabriella Papadakis, telling Reuters, "I want to express my incomprehension and disagreement with the labels attributed to me. The book contains false information, including statements I never made, which I consider serious."
Regardless, the French pair's gold medal win has fueled many questions among fans, highlighting ongoing issues in Olympic judging and transparency.
