The International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared on Sunday (Aug. 11, 2024) that the bronze medal initially awarded to American gymnast Jordan Chiles for the floor exercise at the Paris Games will now go to her Romanian rival, Ana Bărbosu.
This decision follows a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling on Saturday (Aug. 10, 2024). The CAS stated that the USA's initial inquiry about Chiles' score in Monday's gymnastics floor exercise final was submitted after the one-minute deadline had passed.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced that Chiles' original score of 13.666 would be reinstated. Consequently, Bărbosu's ranking, with a score of 13.700, would be upgraded to third place.
The IOC confirmed that this score change means Chiles will lose her bronze medal, which will be given to Bărbosu instead.
“Following the CAS decision with regard to the Women's Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final and the amendment of the ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation, the IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu (Romania),” the IOC said in the statement.
“We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal.”
On Sunday, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced its intention to appeal the decision.
“We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed,” the statement read.
“The initial error occurred in the scoring by FIG, and the second error was during the CAS appeal process, where the USOPC was not given adequate time or notice to effectively challenge the decision. As a result, we were not properly represented or afforded the opportunity to present our case comprehensively.
“Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves. We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.”
USA Gymnastics referred to its Saturday statement, expressing that it was “devastated” by the ruling.
Late Sunday afternoon, USA Gymnastics submitted additional evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in defense of Jordan Chiles, refuting their ruling calling for her to return her bronze medal. The “time-stamped, video evidence” shows head coach Cecile Landi “first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score is posted.”
USA Gymnastics added that Landi then issued a second statement at the inquiry table 55 seconds after Chiles’ score was originally posted. The timing of the inquiry is crucial, as Chiles and her team were only allowed one minute to file an inquiry at the end of her routine.
Chiles had initially scored 13.666, but her coaches successfully challenged the difficulty score. This added 0.1 to her total, pushing her up to third place, behind gold medalist Rebeca Andrade and fellow American Simone Biles.
Their appearance together on the first all-Black Olympics gymnastics podium created one of the Games' most iconic moments, with the Americans bowing down to Andrade.
However, CAS's ruling that the inquiry for Chiles “was raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline” as per the regulations cast doubt on Chiles' medal.
After CAS's decision, Chiles shared on her Instagram story with four breaking heart emojis, saying, “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you.”
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