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Why France's Guillaume Cizeron-Laurence Fournier Beaudry ice dance pairing is so controversial at 2026 Olympics originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Editor's Note: The following story deals with sexual assault, and may be triggering for some readers. If you or someone you know is in need of support, in USA, please call 1-800-656-4673. More resources can be found here. In Canada, a list of resources can be found here.
French figure skating pair Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry are in the mix for a gold medal. Competing in the pairs figure skating competition, the duo formed just a year ago.
The skating pair has been making headlines for their partnership because of things that occurred off the ice.
That’s because the pair was newly formed after Laurence Fournier Beaudry’s former partner, Nikolaj Sorensen, was barred from skating for Canada following an investigation into sexual assault allegations against him.
As for Fournier Beaudry’s new partner, Guillaume Cizeron, he has been accused by his former skating partner of being controlling and demanding.
Fournier Beaudry is originally from Canada but earned French citizenship just a few months ago. Now, with her new partner Guillaume Cizeron, the two are skating for France.
Here’s everything you need to know about the controversy surrounding the pair.
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France ice dance team controversy
In 2024, Canada banned Fournier Beaudry’s former skating partner, Sorensen, from the sport for six years. He was accused of sexually assaulting a skater in 2012. Fournier Beaudry defended her former partner at the time.
She had to find a new partner, however, and turned to Guillaume Cizeron, who had recently retired from skating with his longtime partner Gabriella Papadakis. Papadakis alleged that her former partner was controlling and demanding. Cizeron has denied those allegations.
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Why did Guillaume Cizeron split with Gabriella Papadakis?
Initially, the duo announced they were retiring as a pair from professional skating. Together, they won gold at the 2022 Olympics and silver at the 2018 Olympics. They were five-time world champions and five-time consecutive European champions, as well as winners of several other titles.
But earlier in 2026, Papadakis levied new allegations against her former partner.
Gabriella Papadakis memoir
Early in 2026, Papadakis released her memoir “To Not Disappear." In the book, she wrote about the power imbalances that exist in the sport. She also described her former partner as "often controlling, demanding and critical,” and added that she would not skate with him without a coach present at practice.
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Guillaume Cizeron allegations
Cizeron has vehemently denied Papadakis' claims.
"In the face of the smear campaign targeting me, I want to express my incomprehension and my disagreement with the labels being attributed to me," Cizeron said via The Associated Press in Jan 2026. "These allegations arise at a particularly sensitive time... thereby raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign. I also wish to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information, attributing to me, among other things, statements I have never made and which I consider serious."
As for Papadakis, she was supposed to be an analyst for NBC's figure skating coverage in Milan. Following the book and Cizeron's comments, the network removed her from their coverage.
“We respect Gabriella’s right to tell the story of her life and career," NBC told Sportico in a statement. "At the same time, her new book creates a clear conflict of interest. Our responsibility is to deliver coverage that our audience can trust to be free of bias—whether actual or perceived—and we regret that is no longer possible given the circumstances.”
Cizeron had his lawyers file a cease and desist order against the "dissemination of defamatory statements" about him.
"To my knowledge, in reaction to Guillaume filing a formal notice, which was made public, they [NBC] considered that the perception of my neutrality was compromised and that I could not commentate on the Olympic Games," Papadakis told the French newspaper L'Équipe.
Papadakis network removed her from their Olympic coverage, citing a conflict of interestAccording to Papadakis,
Who is Laurence Fournier Beaudry's boyfriend?
Laurence Fournier's boyfriend is her former partner, Nikolaj Sorensen. The pair won 15 medals together, and represented Canada in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Nikolaj Sorensen sexual assault allegations
Sorenson was accused of sexually assaulting an American figure skater in April 2012. according to documents and emails obtained by USA TODAY Sports in 2023:
Fournier defended her boyfriend against the allegations during a Netflix documentary "Glitter & Gold: Ice Dancing,"
"This was extremely difficult because it was not only about skating," she said via the newspaper. "It was about my integrity, it was about his integrity. I know my boyfriend 100%. I know him. And we (stood) strong together."
Sorenson has denied the allegations.
“When something like that comes out in the media, the damage is kind of done and I think that was the intention more than anything,” Sørensen said via USA Today in March 2024.
The victim's attorney, who Nancy Hogshead, who is an Olympic medalist and Title IX lawyer, said that the skater's public comments should be a violation o the OSIC statute 5.14.2 in the Code of Conduct which prevents retaliation during an investigation.
“Nikolaj Sorensen has no evidence of the victim’s motives," Hogshead said. "His statement is clearly designed to discredit the veracity of the victim, and is therefore retaliation for filing a complaint. He should not be able to compete in the world championships because he is violating the rules prohibiting retaliation when he defamed the victim for filing a claim.”
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