The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has announced its intention to appeal a court ruling that resulted in American gymnast Jordan Chiles being stripped of her bronze medal in the Paris Olympics floor exercise. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) voided an on-floor appeal by Chiles’ coach, which had elevated her to third place, stating that the appeal was submitted 4 seconds past the 1-minute time limit for scoring inquiries.
Following the CAS decision, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) declared it would respect the court’s ruling and award the bronze medal to Romanian Ana Barbosu. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) subsequently confirmed the ruling and announced the reallocation of the bronze medal.
The USOPC, however, stands firmly behind Chiles, stating that they believe she rightfully earned the bronze medal. They contend that there were significant errors in both the initial scoring by the FIG and the subsequent CAS appeal process, demanding these be addressed. The USOPC’s statement highlights that the appeal by Team USA coach Cecile Landi to add 0.1 to Chiles’ score arrived outside the 1-minute window allowed by the FIG. According to the CAS, the inquiry was made 1 minute and 4 seconds after Chiles’ initial score was posted.
The IOC has stated it will be in contact with the USOPC regarding the return of Chiles’ bronze medal and will collaborate with the Romanian Olympic Committee to organize a reallocation ceremony honoring Barbosu.
The USOPC’s statement emphasizes that the initial error occurred in the FIG’s scoring process, and a second error transpired during the CAS appeal process where the USOPC was not provided sufficient time or notice to effectively challenge the decision.
The appeal process is still unclear, with two potential avenues for the USOPC: Switzerland’s highest court, the Swiss Tribunal, or the European Court of Human Rights.
The CAS ruling on Saturday mandated the restoration of the initial finishing order, placing Barbosu in third, Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea in fourth, and Chiles in fifth. The organization also asserted that the FIG should establish the final ranking in accordance with this decision, leaving it to the federation to determine who would secure the medal behind gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and silver medalist Simone Biles of the U.S. The FIG confirmed that the decision regarding the reallocation of the medal would be made by the IOC.
This rapid sequence of events adds a further layer of complexity to what has been a turbulent few days for all three athletes. Romanian gymnastics legend and 1976 Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci expressed concern for Barbosu’s mental well-being due to the emotional rollercoaster she experienced, transitioning from bronze medalist to fourth-place finisher. Comaneci criticized the judges’ scoring of Maneca-Voinea’s routine, pointing out that the gymnast was penalized 0.1 points for stepping out of bounds, despite viral replays indicating she narrowly stayed within bounds. Comaneci urged the Romanian Olympic Committee to protest, which they did, but the CAS rejected their appeal.
Chiles alluded to the decision in an Instagram story on Saturday, expressing her heartbreak and announcing her decision to step away from social media for the sake of her mental health. Her sister, Jazmin Chiles, took to Instagram to express her outrage, stating that Chiles was deprived of a medal “not because she wasn’t good enough. But because the judges failed to give her difficulty and forced an inquiry to be made.”
Chiles received support from her U.S. teammates, including two-time Olympian Simone Biles, who posted on Instagram, “Sending you so much love Jordan. Keep your chin up ‘Olympic champ’ we love you.” Six-time Olympic medalist Sunisa Lee added on Instagram, “All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges? Completely unacceptable, this is awful and I’m gutted for Jordan.”
USA Gymnastics issued a statement expressing their “devastation” at the ruling, emphasizing that the inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith, adhering to FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring.
Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea were initially left outside the medal positions in the floor final with matching scores of 13.700. Barbosu believed she had secured bronze over Maneca-Voinea based on a tiebreaker—a higher execution score—and began celebrating with a Romanian flag. Chiles, the final competitor, was initially given a score of 13.666, placing her fifth behind Maneca-Voinea.
Following this, Landi initiated an inquiry into Chiles’ score. “At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like ‘We’re just going to try,‘” Landi explained after the awards ceremony. “I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen, but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like ‘What?’” The judges ultimately granted the appeal, elevating Chiles above Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea.
Upon her return to Romania, Barbosu expressed that she had no issue with Chiles, stating, “I only want for everybody to be fair, we don’t want to start picking on other athletes of any nationality. We as athletes don’t deserve something like that, we only want to perform as best as we can and to be rewarded based on our performance. The problems lie with the judges, with their calculations and decisions.”
Chiles’ mother, Gina Chiles, addressed the critics in a post, expressing her weariness with the derogatory comments directed at her daughter. She highlighted that Jordan is a highly decorated Olympian with an exceptional level of sportsmanship, emphasizing that she is being subjected to “disgusting things.”
This uncertainty casts a shadow over what was a heartwarming moment on the medal stand, where Chiles and Biles knelt to honor Andrade after the Brazilian star secured her fourth medal in Paris. Biles described this gesture as “the right thing to do,” a moment that quickly went viral and even caught the attention of the Louvre, suggesting its potential inclusion as a piece worthy of a spot alongside the Mona Lisa. This memory now carries a complex and emotional postscript.
