Figure skating-ISU stands by ice dance scoring amid Olympic fan backlash

MILAN, Feb 13 : The International Skating Union (ISU) on Friday defended the judging of the ice dance event at the Milano Cortina Olympics after the silver-medal performance by Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates sparked widespread debate among fans.

Much of the outrage stemmed from the fact French judge Jezabel Dabouis favoured French competitors Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron by nearly eight points over the three-time world champion Americans in the free dance.

The outcome prompted a fan petition on Change.org calling for the ISU and International Olympic Committee to investigate the scoring. 

As of Friday evening, the petition had garnered just shy of 17,000 signatures.

In a statement, the ISU said it had "full confidence in the scores given," adding that multiple layers of review are built into the judging system to reduce discrepancies and ensure fairness.

"It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges on any panel," the ISU said in a statement.

"To mitigate these variations and ensure fairness, several mechanisms are in place. The highest and lowest scores for each element are typically dropped, reducing the impact of any outliers. 

"Scores are averaged across the remaining judges, and technical elements are reviewed and verified by a technical panel to ensure consistency with the rules."

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won the gold with a total of 225.82 points, while the Americans earned 224.39.

The ISU also said an Officials' Assessment Committee provides additional oversight, and that judges undergo regular training "to maintain a high standard of scoring accuracy."

Bates had told reporters on Thursday that he and Chock had not read the petition but were aware of it.

"It means