«IF YOU WANT Alysa Liu to win at all costs, give her the gold medal now and don’t let us compete in these meaningless shows anymore»
Milan, 23 February 2026 – Women’s figure skating at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics left an indelible mark, but not for the beauty of the performances or for the gold won by Kaori Sakamoto. What matters, 24 hours after the race, is the bombshell statement from Isabeau Levito, the 18-year-old Italian-American who finished in fifth place despite an almost perfect performance.
His words, pronounced in a press conference with a mixture of restrained anger and profound disappointment, triggered an international media storm, divided fans and enthusiasts and reopened the eternal debate on the credibility of the ISU judging system.
The phrase uttered by Levito – «If they want Alysa Liu to win at all costs, give her the gold medal immediately and don’t let us compete in these meaningless shows anymore» – went viral in less than an hour. Pronounced in English during the post-race conference, it was translated and relaunched by thousands of Italian, American and Asian accounts.
But it wasn’t just the provocation that sparked discussion: Isabeau went further, explicitly accusing the judges of “blatant bias and deception” in evaluating Alysa Liu, the American skater of Chinese origin who won bronze despite two obvious falls in the freestyle.
«I performed my program almost to perfection – said Levito in a firm but trembling voice – only one minor error in the triple flip, clean, expressive, with the components that should have reflected the artistic quality. Instead I took lower PCS than Alysa, who fell twice, once in a combined element. It is mathematically inexplicable. It’s an insult to figure skating. The members’ scores were not acceptable, period.”
The final verdict left many speechless:
– **Kaori Sakamoto (Japan)**: gold with 233.48 points – **Loena Hendrickx (Belgium)**: silver with 229.71 – **Alysa Liu (USA)**: bronze with 225.19 – **Hana Yoshida (Japan)**: 4th with 224.88 – **Isabeau Levito (USA)**: 5th with 223.62
The crucial difference was in the **Program Components Scores** (PCS): Alysa received an average of 9.25–9.40 in the five artistic criteria despite the falls, while Isabeau stopped at 9.00–9.15 despite having performed a technically superior free (TES higher by about 4 points). The gap in the PCS overturned a race which, according to many neutral analysts, should have seen Levito on the podium.
### The reaction in Italy: wounded pride and widespread anger
In Italy the news had a huge impact, not only because Isabeau is the daughter of an Italian mother and speaks the language fluently, but because she represents a symbol of European talent in a sport dominated by Americans, Russians and Japanese. On Italian social media (#IsabeauRobbed, #MilanoCortinaScandal, #GiudiciCompri) and in skating forums (Patto di Ferro, Pattinaggio Artistico Italia) the reactions were ferocious.
“Isabeau skated like a queen and they treated her like a servant,” writes a user on Instagram. «Two falls and bronze? Are we kidding?”, commented another on Facebook. La Gazzetta dello Sport had a front page headline: «Isabeau robbed of possible gold: skating is crying». The Corriere dedicated an editorial signed by a former ISU judge: «The PCS system has become a political instrument. When an American skater falls twice and takes higher components than an almost perfect one, it’s no longer sport: it’s diplomacy on the ice.”
Many Italian fans underlined the emotional bond with Isabeau: «She is one of us – writes a fan from Milan – she has Italian blood, she speaks our language, and they humiliated her in front of our audience».
### The official response: heavy fine and silence from Alysa
ISU and United States Figure Skating didn’t let it slide. Less than 12 hours after the press conference, the official sanction arrived: Isabeau Levito was fined 15,000 Swiss francs (around 15,800 euros) for “statements detrimental to the image of the ISU and the sporting discipline”. The official note reads: «Public statements that question the integrity of judges without concrete evidence violate the ISU code of ethics. The sanction is proportionate to the severity.”
Alysa Liu has not made any direct statements about the controversy. Her Instagram account published only a photo with the bronze medal and the caption: “Grateful for this Olympic experience. Thank you all for the love.” Silence also from his staff and from US Figure Skating, which limited the response to a generic: «We respect the work of the judges and celebrate all our athletes».
### The technical debate: do the numbers speak for themselves?
Analyzing the official protocols published by the ISU, evident anomalies emerge:
– Alysa Liu received average PCS of 9.32 (Performance), 9.40 (Composition), 9.38 (Interpretation) despite two falls that eliminated the value of a combined element. – Isabeau Levito: 9.05 (Performance), 9.10 (Composition), 9.15 (Interpretation) – lower values despite a program executed almost flawlessly and with greater artistic complexity according to many specialists.
Alysa’s GOE (Grade of Execution) was correctly penalized for falls, but the PCS – which represents about 40% of the total score – seem inflated. European experts such as former British judge Ted Barton said in an interview with Eurosport: «There is no technical justification for such high PCSs after two serious errors. It is an anomaly that damages the credibility of sport.”
### Consequences and future
The fine did not extinguish the controversy, on the contrary it fueled it. In Italy there is already talk of an online petition to ask for transparency in the criteria for assigning PCS. In America, some media have accused Levito of “sour grapes”, while others – including prominent figures such as Tara Lipinski – have called for an independent audit of the Olympic judging system.
Isabeau, for her part, published a story on Instagram after the fine: «I will pay the fine, but I won’t retract a word. I skated for myself and for those who believe in clean sport. Thanks to all the Italians who supported me here at home.”
Alysa Liu remains silent, but the Olympic bronze – the first for the USA women since Beijing 2022 – is now inextricably linked to this controversy.
Figure skating comes out of Milano Cortina 2026 hurt. Not because of the quality of the athletes, but because of the trust that the public places in the judges. When a phrase like “give her the medal immediately” goes viral all over the world, it means that something in the system is deeply broken.
