Madison Chock and Evan Bates had to settle for the silver.

A French judge is facing accusations of rigging an ice dancing competition that cost Evan Bates and Madison Chock the gold medal.

Evan Bates and Madison Chock had a near-flawless performance together in the ice dance competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Many were stunned when the judges declared Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France as the winners over Bates and Chock.

Obviously, there’s no “perfect” system in Olympic events that rely on judges’ scores. But controversy has erupted over the Cizeron-Beaudry victory.

James Dator of SB Nation did a deep dive into the fishy history of Jézabel Dabois, a French judge whose score determined Cizeron and Beaudry as the winners:

“Not only did she judge the French pair 6.45 points higher than the mean, but she undervalued Chock/Bates by -7.19 — giving us a +13.64 delta favoring France over USA in the final score. This represents a staggering 6.37 standard deviation z-score difference across the event.

Five of the nine judges had Chock/Bates ahead of F. Beaudry/Cizeron, but that edge was erased by the wild swing in scoring from this one judge. While it’s a subjective sport, with natural variance in scoring — it doesn’t explain how one person saw the two performances so differently.

When we dig deeper into recent scores from this judge the whole picture of the Olympic scoring gets murkier. At the 2026 European Championships there appears to be similar bias in favor of France.”

Bates and Chock kept it classy in defeat and admirably stayed clear of discussing the controversial scoring from Dabois.

Evan Bates and Madison Chock Still Boast Two Olympic Gold Medals Together

Madison Chock and Evan Bates (Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images)
As disappointing as the couple must have been about the questionable results, it certainly doesn’t diminish the rest of their accomplishments. Bates and Chock just won a gold in the figure skating team event.

The legendary skating pair also won gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. To say nothing of their three gold medals in the World Figure Skating Championships and three victories at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

Winning the first gold medal is the ultimate dream for all Olympic athletes. Getting the second is a special bonus, and anything after that is just gravy. Bates and Chock are still among the most decorated figure skaters of their era, and they still have those two Olympic golds to cherish.

Luka Doncic ‘destroys’ the Mavs on his return. Gets standing ovation and shows love to Mark Cuban

Luka Doncic hits 45 points in his first game in Dallas since being traded to the Los Angeles.

It’s rare for a home crowd to cheer the visiting team, but Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas was no ordinary night.

Just days before February’s trade deadline, the Mavericks shocked the NBA by sending their 26-year-old superstar to the Lakers—a move that outraged fans and sparked backlash toward GM Nico Harrison.

On Wednesday, Doncic played his first game back in Dallas since the trade. The arena was filled with fans in both his old Mavs and new Lakers jerseys, many chanting “Fire Nico” in protest.

Despite the emotion in the air, Doncic delivered a dominant performance, scoring a game-high 45 points to lead the Lakers to a 112-97 win. It was a powerful return for one of the league’s brightest stars—and a night Dallas won’t soon forget

The Mavericks pay tribute to Luka Dončić

While the Mavericks’ decision to trade Luka Doncic remains heavily criticized, they handled his return to Dallas with undeniable grace. The organization made sure his first game back as a Laker was met with respect and appreciation.

Every seat in the arena was draped with a T-shirt reading “Hvala za vse,” which translates from Slovenian to “thank you for everything.” It was a thoughtful nod to Doncic’s heritage and impact on the franchise.

Before tip-off, during the starting lineup announcements, the Mavericks played a tribute video showcasing some of Doncic’s most iconic moments in a Dallas jersey. The emotional gesture clearly resonated—moving Doncic to tears in front of the crowd that once called him their own.

Luka Doncic ‘DESTROYS’ his old team

Luka delivered a dazzling performance against his former team, putting up 45 points on 16-of-28 shooting, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. He also added 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in a game that showed exactly why he’s one of the best in the league.

From the opening tip, Doncic was locked in. By halftime, Doncic had racked up 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting in just 19 minutes—marking the 10th time in his career he’s scored 30 or more in a single half.

Though his scoring slowed in the second half, he continued to lead effectively, securing both a Lakers win and an unforgettable showing for the fans in Dallas.