Former skater Surya Bonaly says scoring has to be changed after Chock, Bates upset – When retired French figure skating legend Surya Bonaly watched American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates stand on the Olympic podium with silver medals earlier this week, her reaction was much more than that of a curious spectator. What Bonaly saw — beneath the polite smiles and gracious waves — was a profound echo of her own past: heartbreak, frustration, and a growing conviction that the sport’s judging system remains fundamentally flawed.
Bonaly, speaking from her Minnesota home where she now lives and coaches, told reporters that seeing Chock and Bates accept their medals “forced to smile for the camera” stirred deeply personal memories. “I feel I’ve been there,” she said, capturing how subjective scoring continues to affect the lives and legacies of elite skaters.
A Stunning Olympic Upset — and a Spark for Debate
At the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, Chock and Bates — the U.S. ice dance duo with a career spanning well over a decade and multiple world titles — delivered what many commentators and fans believed was a gold medal performance. They skated cleanly, performed with emotional precision, and posted one of their best free dances of the season.
Yet despite their excellence, they were edged out by the French pair Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron by a razor-thin margin. The final scores — just a few tenths apart — raised eyebrows and quickly ignited debate over the role of subjectivity in judging.
What made the result even more contentious was the way some judges’ scores heavily favored the French team — particularly from the French judge on the panel. Critics pointed out discrepancies between judges and how technical and artistic components were valued differently.
In the aftermath, fans launched petitions calling for independent reviews of the scoring, arguing that a sport so meticulously trained and perfected merits a judging system that reflects performance more transparently and less subjectively.
Bonaly’s Voice: Hard-Won Insight From Her Own Battles
Bonaly’s views resonate loudly precisely because she’s not speaking as a casual observer, but as someone whose fierce competitive spirit once collided with what she felt was an imperfect system. A three-time World silver medalist and three-time Olympian, Bonaly’s own career often felt overshadowed by scoring decisions that didn’t, in her view, fully value her athleticism and commitment — particularly when compared with the scores awarded to other skaters whose technical content might have been similar but whose presentation aligned more closely with traditional expectations. Former skater Surya Bonaly says scoring has to be changed after Chock
She recalls the 1993 World Championships in Prague — where she executed seven triple jumps and a triple combination — yet was awarded silver behind Oksana Baiul’s gold-medal performance with fewer triple jumps but stronger presentation marks. “It felt like barriers were stacked against me,” Bonaly said, and her frustration at that moment famously led her to remove her silver medal at the ceremony in protest — a gesture that shocked many but encapsulated her belief that something was fundamentally unbalanced in how figure skating was judged.
Subjectivity in Scoring — A Deep and Persistent Issue
Figure skating, unlike sports where performance is measured in time or distance, has long grappled with questions of artistry vs. objectivity. Judges evaluate both technical skills (like jumps and lifts) and program components (interpretation, choreography, execution), making the process inherently subjective. Bonaly’s argument highlights a core tension: when two performances are technically superb and emotionally compelling, what truly separates one from another? And who gets to decide that difference? Former skater Surya Bonaly says scoring has to be changed after Chock
“I’m sick and tired of seeing people who should have won miss it and just lose,” she said, her words tinged with both compassion and frustration. “It has to be more fair and that’s it … something has to be changed.” Her perspective taps into a broader conversation within figure skating — one that stretches beyond this Olympics and echoes debates from past judging controversies in the sport’s history, from pairs to singles to ice dance.
Chock and Bates: Dignity Amid Disappointment
Chock and Bates themselves have handled the situation with grace, expressing pride in their performance while acknowledging the sting of narrowly missing their long-awaited Olympic gold. They spoke openly about skating what they believed was a “winning performance,” yet also emphasized their satisfaction with giving everything they had on the ice.
Bates reflected that life — like sport — can sometimes deliver results that don’t align perfectly with effort, while Chock acknowledged how much the moment meant to them after years of dedication and training. Former skater Surya Bonaly says scoring has to be changed after Chock
Their stance mirrors Bonaly’s own later-in-life philosophy, as she shared on a popular Netflix episode years ago: medals are symbolic, but they are not the sole measure of a performance well skated. What matters, she said, is knowing you gave your absolute best — a lesson she now imparts to young skaters navigating a sport that demands both precision and emotional resilience.
Looking Ahead — A Sport at a Crossroads
As athletes, judges, fans, and governing bodies reflect on the 2026 Olympics results, Bonaly’s message resonates: the sport must evolve if it wants to uphold both its artistry and fairness. Whether through new scoring frameworks, greater transparency in judging, or other reforms, voices like hers — rooted in lived experience — are pushing the conversation forward.
For many, the Chock and Bates upset won’t be remembered only for the medals awarded, but as a catalyst for deeper reflection on how figure skating defines excellence, and how it ensures that the best performance truly rises to the top. In Bonaly’s words, it’s time for change — not just for competition’s sake, but for the heart and soul of the sport itself. Former skater Surya Bonaly says scoring has to be changed after Chock
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