Jordan Chiles Calls Bronze Medal Loss 'Devastating' In First ...

15 Aug 2024

Forbes

Topline

U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles called the International Olympic Committee’s ruling that stripped her of her Olympic bronze medal “unjust” while condemning “racially driven attacks on social media” she has faced, after a successful appeal by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation led to Ana Barbosu being declared the bronze medal winner.

Jordan Chiles was originally awarded the bronze medal on floor exercise after an appeal filed by her ... [+] coach raised her score to third place. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

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In a statement posted to Instagram Thursday afternoon, Chiles thanked her supporters, including USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, who have vowed to appeal a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that led to Chiles’ medal being stripped after the games.

She said she will “make every effort to ensure justice is done,” calling the brewing legal battle to challenge the loss of her medal “one of the most challenging moments of my career.”

Chiles’ medal was stripped Sunday on the basis that an inquiry filed by her coach that raised her score into bronze medal position was allegedly filed four seconds after the deadline—which USA Gymnastics has said it has “conclusive evidence” to disprove.

Chiles said she had confidence USA Gymnastics’ appeal would succeed, though the appeal failed because CAS refused to reopen the case.

An onslaught of “racially driven attacks” on social media—which both her sister Jazmin and mother Gina Chiles have condemned—only added to the heartbreak she felt following the loss of her medal, Chiles said.

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USA Gymnastics said it will “pursue every possible avenue and appeal process” to fight for Chiles’ medal, including an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, in a statement on Monday. The organization has maintained Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, filed an inquiry into Chiles’ score 47 seconds after her original score was posted, before the one-minute deadline. The USOPC also alleged CAS engaged in “significant procedural errors,” claiming the court sent “crucial communications” meant for USOPC and USA Gymnastics to the wrong email addresses, an error it says was not rectified until “three days after filing, two days past the deadline to submit objections, and less than 24 hours before the hearing.” USA Gymnastics said CAS also did not send “conflict-of-interest disclosures” of any panelist involved with the decision, including chair Hamid G. Gharavi, who has reportedly represented Romanian interests in arbitration cases for nearly a decade. Chiles said on Instagram she believes “at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”

Why Did Chiles Lose Her Medal?

The IOC said Sunday Chiles’ bronze medal would be stripped and awarded to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. Chiles was the last competitor in the women’s floor exercise final at the Olympics and was originally given a score of 13.666, leaving her in fifth place behind gold and silver medalists Rebeca Andrade and Simone Biles, as well as Barbosu and another Romanian gymnast, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. Landi filed an inquiry into Chiles’ score, prompting the judges to reassess whether they had given Chiles proper credit for the skills performed in her routine. Upon review, the judges raised Chiles’ difficulty score by one tenth, bringing her overall score to 13.766, enough to surpass both Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for third place. Chiles was awarded the bronze medal and participated in the medal ceremony. But the Romanian Gymnastics Federation filed an appeal to CAS, which ruled Chiles’ appeal was filed four seconds after the one-minute deadline, prompting the court to nullify the inquiry and reinstate her score of 13.666. The International Gymnastics Federation complied with the ruling, amending the final standings to leave Chiles in fifth, and the IOC made the final decision to strip Chiles of her medal.

Crucial Quote

"I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow not just to me but to everyone who has championed my journey," Chiles said.

Surprising Fact

The Romanian Gymnastics Federation said it pushed for a solution alongside U.S. officials for a shared bronze medal and never requested that Chiles’ medal be taken away.