The judging in the ice dance event at the Olympics has come under scrutiny due to perceived favoritism, particularly in relation to French judge Jézabel Dabouis, whose scoring significantly deviated from that of her peers. This controversy followed the victory of the French pair Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who won gold by a narrow margin of just 0.86 points over the American pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Tuulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis from Finland finished in 12th place.

Dabouis awarded Beaudry and Cizeron a score of 137.45 points in the free dance, which was the second highest among all judges, while her score for Chock and Bates was only 129.74 points, making her the sole judge to score the American pair below 130 points. The disparity between the scores of the two couples was 7.71 points, the largest margin given by any of the nine judges involved in the event. Such discrepancies raise questions about the integrity of the judging process at such a prestigious event as the Olympics.

The international skating federation has commented on the uproar, indicating that they are aware of the situation and may look into the judging criteria and practices moving forward. This has drawn attention not only from local media but also from international outlets, like The Guardian, highlighting the global interest in ensuring fairness in competitive sports.