{"id":9675,"date":"2026-02-28T11:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=9675"},"modified":"2026-02-28T11:39:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:39:05","slug":"real-gold-or-just-a-gold-plated-controversy-amidst-the-divisive-scoring-storm-the-french-duo-laurence-fournier-beaudry-and-guillaume-cizeron-quietly-returned-to-the-olympi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=9675","title":{"rendered":"\u201cREAL GOLD\u2026 OR JUST A GOLD-PLATED CONTROVERSY?\u201d Amidst the divisive scoring storm, the French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron quietly returned to the Olympic ice for the 2026 gala night \u2014 their first since their narrow victory over Madison Chock and Evan Bates. No scorecards. No judges. Just music, lights, and skeptical gazes from the audience. Their dreamy, romantic performance seemed more than just a show \u2014 a silent response to the still-unresolved uproar. They had reached the pinnacle of the Olympics. But that night, every spin, every glide carried the weight of an unanswered question."},"content":{"rendered":"

French Ice Dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron Perform at Olympics After Scoring Controversy<\/h1>\n

\"Laurence<\/p>\n

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French ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and\u00a0Guillaume Cizeron\u00a0returned to Olympic ice for a final time, and for the first time since the controversy over the judge scoring\u00a0that earned them gold.<\/p>\n

Fournier Beaudry, 33, and Cizeron, 31, performed in the figure skating exhibition gala at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 21, skating to \u201cMetamorphosis\u201d by Mad Rush. The exhibition gala takes place at the end of every Olympics competition and typically involves the medalists from each event performing a more relaxed program, sans judging.<\/p>\n

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The duo were met with light applause as they performed a dreamy, romantic routine.<\/p>\n

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won gold in ice dancing on Feb. 11, snagging the first place\u00a0spot over Team USA\u2019s Madison Chock and Evan Bates\u00a0by just 1.42 points. But controversy soon swirled over their score \u2014 a 225.82, despite significant synchronization errors from Cizeron in his twizzles \u2014 and that they were still scored higher than Chock and Bates, who had a clean skate.<\/p>\n

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As the score breakdown came out, skating commentators noticed a clear shift in the scoring from the French judge, Jezabel Dabouis. She gave Chock and Bates a 129.74 for their free dance, the lowest score of all nine judges and more than five points lower than the average. Meanwhile, Dabouis gave Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron a 137.45, nearly three points higher than the average.<\/p>\n

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Gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.<\/span>Matthew Stockman\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chock and Bates were asked over the next few days if they would appeal the score, but U.S. Figure Skating decided against it. The U.S. duo said to reporters after that they felt they did everything they could with their skate, but admitted to\u00a0feeling \u201cdisappointment\u201d in an interview\u00a0with PEOPLE a day after the final.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think there were a lot of emotions flooding through us yesterday. I think there was some disappointment for sure,\u201d Chock said, before pausing to collect herself amid tears. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long journey, but I certainly have a lot of pride for what we have accomplished, and who we\u2019ve become on the way to those accomplishments. So in general, [we\u2019re feeling] gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Laurence<\/p>\n

Along with the on-ice drama, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron were the\u00a0subject of off-ice controversy\u00a0before the Olympics began. For Fournier Beaudy, the conversation has centered on her boyfriend and former ice dance partner, Nikolaj S\u00f8rensen, who was suspended from the sport in 2024 after he was accused of a 2012 sexual assault of a former skater and coach. He previously denied the allegations, and she has supported him publicly.<\/p>\n

Cizeron, meanwhile, was accused of being \u201ccontrolling, demanding and critical\u201d by his longtime partner\u00a0Gabriella Papadakis, with whom he won the gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, in an interview last month, ahead of the release of her memoir\u00a0So as Not to Disappear<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The former skater wrote that she felt like she was under Cizeron\u2019s \u201ccontrol\u201d and that she was \u201cterrified\u201d at the idea of being alone with him. Cizeron has called her accusations a \u201csmear campaign\u201d in a statement to\u00a0Reuters\u00a0and said that he was pursuing legal action.<\/p>\n