Looks like Madison Chock and Evan Bates are in no mood for another dispute. Despite claims that the ice dancing duo was allegedly denied an Olympic gold medal by a “compromised” jury panel, the pair is not pursuing an appeal.
Chock and her partner-turned-husband found success on their fourth attempt in the ice dance category at the Winter Olympics. After defending their team title, they earned silver in the ice dance competition.
Team USA Opts Against Appealing Winter Olympic Controversy Surrounding Madison Chock and Evan Bates
According to multiple media reports, despite a strong performance, Chock and Bates were ranked second due to the alleged influence of French jury member Jezabel Dabois, who favored the French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
However, despite the controversy gaining attention, neither Chock nor Bates is interested in filing an appeal. According to a press statement issued by U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell:
“There has been a lot of thoughtful, and at times emotional, discussion about the ice dance competition in Milan. Working together with Madi and Evan after the Games, we will have thoughtful and intentional discussions about the best way to support them and the future of the sport. For now, we plan to join them in supporting the success of U.S. Figure Skating in Milan.”
While Bates did not directly address favoritism, he emphasized that their performance was superior. In a post-race interview with USA Today, he said:
“We felt like we delivered our absolute best performance that we could have. It was our Olympic moment. It felt like a winning skate to us, and that’s what we’re going to hold on to.”
Chock was more direct. In a post-race interview with CBS News, the 33-year-old figure skater remarked,
“I think it would definitely be helpful if it’s more understandable for the viewers to just see more transparent judging and understand what’s really going on. I think it’s also important for the skaters that the judges be vetted and reviewed to make sure that they are also putting out their best performance because there’s a lot on the line for the skaters when they’re out there giving it their all and we deserve to have the judges also giving us their all and for it to be a fair and even playing field.”
Chock and Bates scored a total of 134.67 points to finish second. The French duo of Beaudry and Cizeron edged them with 135.64 points to claim first, though discrepancies were noted between the scores given by the French jury member and the rest of the panel.
