As far back as I can remember a separate game, which was the winter Olympics in 1960 at Squaw Valley and Tahoe, there has been complaints about the judging in figure skating, pairs figure skating and later ice dancing. It has always been subjective. New jumps would be performed and judges would mark a performer or a couple down because it wasn't a regular known and named combination. Doubles, then triples and now quads are performed. The performers have always pushed the envelope with the judges usually at least four years behind the times.
With modern stop action and super slow motion cameras, we as an audience can actually see the intricate movements performed in all their beauty or in some cases sloppiness. Jumps, triple toe loops, synchronization and timing are indeed much better than even thirty or forty years ago all the while presenting a smooth almost ballet like line.
So the sport is more of an art, harder to judge and difficult to judge consistently. It is still some of the most compelling visuals from the games and I think it would be a shame if it were hounded out of the Olympics.