U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles has been instructed to return the individual bronze medal she won at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to an announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Sunday morning.
This development follows a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which found that the judging panel for the women’s floor exercise final had erred in granting an inquiry filed by Chiles’ coaches.
Why Gymnast Jordan Chiles Is Being Asked To Return Her Bronze Medal?
This inquiry had moved Chiles into the medal position. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation had contested the validity of the inquiry, claiming it was submitted four seconds after the deadline for scoring appeals.
The IOC stated that the bronze medal will now be awarded to Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who had originally finished fourth.
“We are coordinating with the Romanian Olympic Committee regarding the medal reallocation ceremony and with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee about the return of the bronze medal,” the IOC said.
Representatives from USA Gymnastics and the USOPC did not immediately respond to requests for comment but released a statement on Saturday night calling the CAS decision “devastating.”
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“The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in line with International Gymnastics Federation rules to ensure correct scoring,” the statement said.
They also condemned the harmful social media attacks Chiles faced during the appeal process. “No athlete should endure such treatment. We stand by Jordan for her integrity both on and off the floor,” the statement continued.
Jordan Chiles Takes A Break From Social Media
Chiles, 23, announced on Instagram on Saturday that she was taking a break from social media to safeguard her mental health.
The IOC’s decision to revoke Chiles’ bronze medal adds to the emotional upheaval following the floor final at Bercy Arena. Chiles, who performed last, initially scored 13.666, placing her fifth behind Barbosu and another Romanian gymnast, Sabrina Voinea. After U.S. coaches filed a scoring appeal, Chiles’ score was adjusted to 13.766, allowing her to move into third place.
The late appeal caused Barbosu, who was already celebrating on the podium, to be displaced, leading to protests from the Romanian team. They later challenged the inquiry with CAS, alleging it was submitted past the 60-second appeal deadline.
CAS ruled in favor of the Romanians, ordering Chiles’ score to revert to 13.666. The decision on the final standings and medal reassignment was then referred to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
FIG confirmed Chiles’ original score would be reinstated, moving her to fifth place, and passed the matter of her bronze medal to the IOC, which made the final decision on Sunday.
Chiles had expressed pride in her individual Olympic medal after the floor exercise final. Although she contributed to silver and gold team medals in Tokyo and Paris, respectively, she had never won an individual Olympic medal nor qualified for an individual final before.
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