Michael Knowles hints at racism over Jordan Chiles' bronze medal controversy at Paris Olympics
PARIS, FRANCE: Daily Wire host Michael Knowles did not his mince words suggesting that race played a pivotal role in the recent controversy surrounding American gymnast Jordan Chiles officially being stripped of her bronze medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The situation, which has drawn intense scrutiny from fans and critics alike, has led Knowles to claim that "affirmative action" has seeped into the world of Olympic sports.
USA Gymnastics claims scoring discrepancies affected Jordan Chiles' standing
Jordan Chiles, a 23-year-old American gymnast, initially found herself in fifth place after the conclusion of the gymnastics competition on August 5, trailing behind Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.
Chiles' score of 13.666 placed her just shy of the bronze medal, which was awarded to Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea, both of whom had tied with a score of 13.700.
However, Chiles' coaches quickly filed an appeal, arguing that her difficulty score had been underestimated, particularly regarding a complex leap involving a 540-degree turn. The judges agreed with Chiles' coach, Cecile Landi, knocking Barbosu out of the top three and bumping Chiles up to the bronze medal position.
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.
Michael Knowles emphasizes racial dynamics in medal decision
Michael Knowles weighed in on the issue on The Daily Wire's 'The Michael Knowles Show', highlighting the racial aspect of the decision. He emphasized that Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, a 17-year-old Romanian gymnast, was "an extremely White girl" who had her dreams shattered when Jordan Chiles, a Black athlete, was awarded the bronze.
"Sabrina Voinea loses a tenth of a point or something like that, for allegedly stepping out," said Knowles. "You know, she placed her foot in the wrong place during her set, and so now she can't – she loses the bronze, and she runs away crying head in hands. You know, it's obviously so awful and humiliating. She just made her dreams come true, and now she's gotta run away. And then when you look at the tape, you realize she never stepped out. Her foot was exactly where it was supposed to be the whole time. You can play the tape."
Michael Knowles claims medal decision driven by desire for 'historic Black podium'
The host questioned the fairness of the process, claiming that the decision to strip Sabrina Maneca-Voinea of her medal and award it to Jordan Chiles was driven by a desire to create a "historic Black podium" rather than merit. "They took that point away for no reason whatsoever. But the reason that the races matter here is this was the podium that was hailed by all the Olympics, you know, PR flacks as the all-Black podium. It was so historic. So, of course, they had to take it away from the White girl and they had to give it to the Black girl," claimed Knowles.
"You know, it's really unfair. The 17-year-old Romanian girl had been working for this her whole life and she had it taken away from her. And the reason that – maybe it was an honest mistake by the judges, maybe it wasn't an honest mistake either. But even if it were, the reason it's not gonna be reversed – or it certainly wouldn't be reversed during the Olympics is because of the historic Black podium," he added.
"Now affirmative action is not just in schools, it's not just in places of employment, affirmative action is now in sports, affirmative action is now in the Olympics. That's amazing. You get however many extra points on your SAT if you check the right racial box. And now I guess you get an extra tenth of a point, quarter of a point, half a point, who knows, in Olympics gymnastics," Knowles concluded.
