Madison Chock and Evan Bates Seek Clarity Following Silver

Fans and athletes are demanding a formal investigation after Madison Chock and Evan Bates lost the Olympic ice dance gold medal following controversial judging. A petition with nearly 9,000 signatures urges the International Skating Union to review the scores after French judge Jezabel Dabouis awarded the American pair their lowest mark. Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron secured the victory for France despite a visible mistake by Cizeron during their performance.The American duo finished with 224.39 points while the French team earned 225.82 points to claim the gold medal in Milan. Madison Chock stated that the lack of transparency in scoring does a disservice to the sport and its audience. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier from Canada rounded out the podium by taking the bronze medal.Evan Bates expressed pride in their performance to "Paint It Black" despite the disappointing and confusing outcome in the final standings. The couple had previously set a world-best score in the rhythm dance portion of the competition. They plan to continue skating together while the international community debates the fairness of the results.