Married ice dancing couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates have been center stage at the 2026 Winter Olympics for not only their graceful performances on the ice but also a controversy off the ice. The ice dancing pair took home the silver medal in the free skate competition on Wednesday, February 11, but some thought they deserved the gold.

For the vent, France’s Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Beaudry Fournier scored the gold with a higher technical score of 77.06 to Chock and Bates’ 76.75, according to figure stating research. But, some viewers felt that there was favoritism and that Chock and Bates should have prevailed as No. 1.

Now, one day after the competition, Chock and Bates are breaking their silence about winning the silver, amid the controversy that they should have gotten gold. One of them was live Milan reporter Lukas Weese of The Athletic, who published a piece about the ice dancing results and said that he believes Madison Chock and Evan Bates should have gotten gold.

“The judges gave Cizeron/Beaudry Fournier a higher technical score (77.06) than Chock/Bates (76.75), which is fair,” he stated in a piece after the results coming out. “What I disagree is the composition, presentation and skating skills, which favored the French duo.”

“I felt that the emotion and performance quality of Chock/Bates was higher, aided with a better song choice,” he added. “The crowd agreed. The judges didn’t see it that way and that’s why France is the Olympic champion by the slimmest of margins.”

Madison Chock and Evan Bates Announce News

With so many calling for Chock and Bates to get gold, there was the belief that these two would contest the results and go for the gold. In fact, the two even indicated that they were thinking about it, in multiple interviews.

But, now, the two have decided not to contest the results and keep the silver. On Sunday, February 15, U.S. Figure Skating announced that they didn’t appeal the French judge’s scoring.

“There has been a lot of thoughtful, and at times emotional, discussion about the ice dance competition in Milan,” USFS CEO Matt Farrell said in a statement to USA Today Sports. “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,” Farrell added, “we plan to join them in supporting the success of U.S. Figure Skating in Milan.”

Madison Chock and Evan Bates: Married Couple Breaks Comments on Olympic Journey

Following the silver medal honor, the married couple took to social media to post a photo of themselves winning the silver medal. They didn’t discussed the controversy and instead focused on the positive.

“It’s truly an honor to skate on Olympic ice, and we’re so proud of how hard we worked to get here and deliver our very best,” they stated in the post. “Thank you to our families, friends, fellow skaters and all the fans back home and around the world for your support. We are so incredibly grateful for all of the love.”