Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal ruling appeal turned down by CAS but USA Gymnastics won’t give up fight

SPRING, TEXAS: In an unexpected development, gymnast Jordan Chiles, who won over audiences with her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has been officially stripped of her bronze medal following a comprehensive investigation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Gymnastics Federation.

 

USA Gymnastics stated on social media on Monday, August 12, that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected the Olympian's appeal to have her bronze medal from the women's individual floor exercise final, which took place on Monday, August 5, reinstated.

USA Gymnastics vows to continue appeals for Jordan Chiles

"USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented," the statement read.

It further added, "We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan."

Chiles, 23, was in fifth place when the competition concluded on August 5, trailing behind Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.

The American gymnast initially received a score of 13.666 for her routine, which placed her just behind the Romanians, who were tied with a score of 13.700.

Chiles' coaches filed an appeal, arguing that her difficulty score should have been higher to properly acknowledge a leap that entailed executing a split in mid-air while completing a 540-degree turn.

Romanian Ana Barbosu awarded bronze medal

The judges concurred with Coach Cecile Landi's appeal, granting Jordan Chiles credit for the skill, which altered her score to 13.766 and secured her the bronze medal position, PEOPLE reported. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade won the gold while fellow Team USA gymnast Simone Biles took home the silver medal.

On Saturday, August 10, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of the challenge by Maneca-Voinea and Barbosu regarding Chiles' placement. The challenge contended that the submission of the challenge to Chiles' initial score by Landi was four seconds late.

Chiles, having secured her first individual Olympic medal following the event, was subsequently stripped of it.

The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) sought to overturn the decision, asserting that video evidence supported that Landi had submitted the challenge on time.

 

As of the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision on August 12, Barbosu was awarded the bronze medal in Chiles' place.

Jordan Chiles' fans slam Court of Arbitration for Sport

The news of Jordan Chiles' bronze medal being stripped resulted in immediate outpouring of anger from her fans.

A user wrote, "The CAS is corrupt. Remember what happened to the US and Japanese skaters in Beijing; they just received their gold and silver medals after over 2-years of arbitration."

Another user added, "Jordan should not be punished for their mistake. This is ridiculous."

The third commentator remarked, "All of this smells of corruption. How do they quickly strip a medal within hours but don’t allow the other party to defend themselves? Didn’t even give the Usag a chance to aquire evidence needed and deemed what they had was factual."

"This is NOT right!! You’re going to punish Jordan for a mistake that YOU judges made?!! IOC and FIG you truly are a disgrace to the sport of gymnastics!! You crushed a poor girls dreams!! Probably many Olympic hopefuls, this is truly how you want to end 2024?! Shameful!" one stated.

A person claimed, "That is some kind of messed up system."

Othehr chimed in, "They are stealing a medal from the US! That medal belongs to Jordan!"

In addition to expressing anger towards the Court of Arbitration for Sport, several netizens have also demonstrated their unwavering support for Chiles.

A fan of Chiles wrote, "Keep fighting. We’re all pulling for you and Jordan. Nasty situation."

Another remarked in a humorous way, "Jordan, we will all help you hide that medal. It’s not going back."

"Keep fighting. Chiles should refuse to hand over her bronze no matter what. Tell them if they really want it then they will have to come her house and find it. then call 911 if officials show up and report a burglary and trespassers," a user chimed in.

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