Figure skating-Fans of Chock and Bates launch petition questioning ice dance result

MILAN, Feb 12 : Triple world ice dance champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates will leave the Milano Cortina Olympics with silver medals, but also an outpouring of support from fans questioning the judging that denied them gold. 

Debate around Wednesday night's ice dance victory by French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron has sparked a petition on Change.org calling for the International Skating Union to review the scoring.

Despite the swirl around them, Chock and Bates said on Thursday they were holding tight to the emotion of their performance and the belief it was the strongest of their career.

"We haven't studied (the scoring) in depth, but we did speak to our coach and we did talk to each other, and we know how we felt on centre ice after we skated," Bates, 36, said. 

"We felt like we delivered our absolute best performance that we could have. It was our Olympic moment. It felt like a winning skate to us, and that's what we're going to hold on to."

The petition entitled "Require the IOC and ISU to Investigate the Judges Awarding France the Gold" had just shy of 9,000 signatures on Thursday evening.

Bates said he and Chock, who married in 2024, had not seen the petition but had heard about it.

"It means a lot that people are voicing their opinions on our behalf," he said. 

Chock, who had been a puddle of tears a night earlier, echoed that sentiment, saying the response from fans had helped soften the sting of the result.

"It's been incredible," the 33-year-old said. "We've really felt so much love and support in the last 24 hours and through the whole week really, but especially since yesterday. 

"It really means a lot to us to have so many people just appreciate our performance and what we've worked so hard