The Olympic Games are a celebration of the best athletes the world has to offer. People tune in to watch the highest levels of competition and cheer on their countries’ athletes. But every year, the integrity of the games is questioned as controversies spread among athletes and viewers alike. The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are no different, as multiple sports and athletes have become embroiled in scandal.
The ice dance competition left many fans confused after American skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates landed in second place after a truly impressive program. The gold medal went to the French team, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who made a few mistakes during their otherwise beautiful program.
What makes these results controversial is the scores of the French judge, Jézabel Dabois. Not only did her scores differ drastically from the other judges’, but she also awarded the French team their highest score and the American team their lowest. With a margin of almost 8 points, these scores gave the French pair a slight lead.
Debois was also responsible for other questionable scores involving the American and French skaters in the rhythm dance event. Many have claimed that her scores were biased and should not have been considered, given how much they differed from the other scores. The US Figure Skating organization did not appeal the decision, and the International Skating Union has announced that it stands by the ruling.
The French skaters entered the competition on the heels of their own controversies. The pair had only been skating as a team for less than a year. Beaudry’s original partner was banned from the games under alleged sexual assault charges involving a US skater, while Cizeron split from his original partner following her accusations against him of emotional abuse.
Things also heated up in the world of curling when Team Sweden accused Team Canada of cheating. During their match, Swedish athlete Oskar Eriksson calls out his opponent, Marc Kennedy, after he appears to touch the granite part of the curling stone with his finger after the release. Kennedy responds by telling Eriksson to “f**k off”.
Touching the curling stone after the handle has been released is considered a “double-touch,” which is against the rules. Video footage taken by the Swedish public broadcaster SVT during the match does show Kennedy extend his finger and touch the back of the stone during his throw. World Curling has clarified that “during forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed”.
Kennedy has publicly claimed his innocence and strongly questioned the video recordings, saying that Team Sweden set up a camera on the hogline was a “premeditated plan to catch us”. Kennedy has been accused of cheating before, and his response leads me to believe that his issue with the way things played out isn’t that he was accused of rule-breaking, but that he was caught.
Team Canada went on to win the match, leaving many fans questioning the validity of that outcome. The same day, another Canadian curler, the captain of the women’s team, Rachel Homan, was accused of using the same move in her match. These accusations were a huge blow to fans of Team Canada, which has consistently been one of the top nations for curling.
