Winter Olympics 2026: Why Everyone is Angry at the Judges Today
Winter Olympics 2026 are in full swing, but today, February 8, 2026, the focus has shifted from athletic brilliance to a massive wave of controversy. While the opening days were celebrated for their beauty, today’s events in Snowboard Big Air and Figure Skating have left American fans and athletes questioning the integrity of the scoring system.
The Ollie Martin Heartbreak in Snowboard Big Air
The biggest controversy of the day occurred during the Men’s Snowboard Big Air Final. American prodigy Ollie Martin, who was widely expected to take home a medal, finished in 4th place after a late-session scoring shift that has sparked outrage.
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The “Flawless” Landing That Wasn’t
China’s Su Yiming took the Bronze medal when he scored 80.25 on his final competition. From the replay, it was seen that the landing involved a hand-drag that was a major technical fault that normally leads to deductions on the score card. Su, however, received the right amount of points to bump USA’s Ollie Martin into second place.
- Public Outcry: Fans are comparing this to previous Olympic judging scandals, claiming the judges were “pushed to score quickly” for the live broadcast rather than reviewing all camera angles.
- The Reaction: Team USA coaches have reportedly filed a formal inquiry regarding the consistency of the landing deductions.
Comparison of the Controversial Big Air Scores
To understand why the US audience is frustrated, look at how the top four finishers were scored in today’s final.
| Rank | Athlete (Country) | Best Score | Controversy Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (Gold) | Kira Kimura (JPN) | 90.50 | Low – Clear technical dominance. |
| 2 (Silver) | Ryoma Kimata (JPN) | 86.25 | Low – Solid execution. |
| 3 (Bronze) | Su Yiming (CHN) | 80.25 | High – Visual landing error ignored. |
| 4 | Ollie Martin (USA) | 79.50 | High – Clean run scored lower than Yiming. |
Figure Skating: The “Mind Games” in the Team Event
In the Milano Ice Skating Arena, another storm is brewing. Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God” of Team USA, delivered a safe but powerful performance. However, Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama was awarded a score ten points higher, leading to heated debates on Reddit and X.
Why American Fans are Confused
- Technical vs. Component Scores: Malinin landed the most difficult jumps, but judges heavily rewarded Kagiyama’s “artistic components” (skating skills and transitions).
- The 2022 Ghost: Fans are still sensitive after the 2022 Beijing team event medal delay. Any sign of inconsistent judging today is being met with immediate suspicion.
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Key Statistics of Today’s Judging Discrepancies
This table breaks down the differences between the 2022 Beijing Games and the 2026 Milano Cortina Games regarding judging transparency.
| Feature | Beijing 2022 System | Milano 2026 System |
|---|---|---|
| Video Review | Limited angles for Big Air. | Multi-angle 4K AI assistance (But failed today). |
| Judge Panel | 9 Scoring Judges. | 9 Scoring Judges + 1 AI Auditor. |
| Public Transparency | Scores released after event. | Live Score breakdown (Causing more debate). |
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Interactive Fan Discussion
Below is a snapshot of what the US audience is saying in live chat forums right now:
Olympics Live Chat Feed (USA Viewers):
@SnowboardKing: “Ollie Martin was robbed! You can see the hand drag on Su’s landing from the moon! How did judges miss it?”
@SkateFan_NY: “Malinin did a Quad Axel. Kagiyama did a Triple. 10 point difference in favor of the triple? Make it make sense.”
@TeamUSA_Pride: “It feels like 2022 all over again. We need an independent review of these snowboard scores immediately.”
Conclusion
The 2026 Winter Olympics are meant to be a celebration of “Beauty and Speed,” but for Team USA fans, today feels like a celebration of “Confusion and Contradiction.” While the athletes remain professional, the pressure is mounting on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to address the blatant discrepancies in the Snowboard Big Air and Figure Skating events.
As we move into tomorrow’s events, the eyes of the world—and particularly the United States—will be on the judges more than the athletes.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Why are people angry about the Snowboard Big Air results?
A. Fans are upset because China’s Su Yiming won the bronze despite a visible mistake on his landing, while USA’s Ollie Martin had a clean run but finished 4th.
Q2. Did Ilia Malinin lose the Figure Skating team round today?
A. He finished second in the session to Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama. While Malinin’s jumps were harder, the judges scored Kagiyama higher on artistic presentation.
Q3. Can Team USA appeal the judging decisions?
A. Yes, the US Ski & Snowboard team can file a formal inquiry, but typically, Olympic judging scores are rarely overturned once the medals are finalized.
Q4. Is the judging system different in 2026?
A. The 2026 Games introduced “AI-Assisted Judging” to help with technical accuracy, but critics say the system failed to catch human errors during today’s live finals.
Q5. Who won the gold in today’s Snowboard Big Air?
A. Kira Kimura from Japan won the gold medal with a nearly perfect score, which was the only decision of the day that fans universally agreed upon.