US gymnast Jordan Chiles has publicly opened up about the Olympic Committee’s decision to strip her of her bronze medal.
Chiles’ routine in the women’s floor exercise final won her the third slot on the podium on August 5, 2024, making for a historic all-Black women winner’s circle moment alongside her Team USA teammate Simone Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
However, controversy ensued about the adjustments to Chiles’ score that made her medal possible. Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu’s routine scored 13.700, leaving her in the presumed Bronze spot before Chiles’ turn on the mat. Chiles was the final competitor of the day, earning a score of 13.666, which landed her in fifth place.
47 seconds later, Team USA head coach Cecile Landi went to the judges to request an inquiry into the scoring, which appeared to omit Chiles’ routine’s difficulty points. After adjusting, the judges updated her score to 13.766, which ultimately placed her in third.
Almost one week later, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) received an appeal from the Romanian Federation of Gymnastics (FRG), disputing the timing in which USA logged their inquiry and asking that the amended scores be reversed. CAS ruled that Chiles’ score must go back to its original standing and that she be stripped of her medal, to be reallocated to Barbosu.
For their part, FRG has publicly denounced CAS’s decision as it stands, and stressed that they specifically requested that the gymnasts share the medal, never that it be revoked and reallocated.
After taking a break from social media for her mental health as USA Gymnastics has taken several avenues to get her medal reinstated, Chiles made her first public statement about the ordeal on Instagram on August 15.
“I have no words,” she wrote in a statement. “This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey.”
Chiles went on to condemn the “unprompted racially driven attacks” which she called “wrong and extremely hurtful.”
“I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”
In the latest development surrounding Chiles’ medal, the USA submitted an appeal of the CAS’ decision to strip the gymnast’s medal, with timestamped video evidence supporting that all inquiries were made within the regulation timeframe. Yet the sports arbitration entity has stated that their decision is final. As such, USA Gymnastics has announced plans to take the matter to the Swiss high court.
However, Jordan Chiles says she is prepared to take what she describes as “the biggest challenge of her career” head-on.
“I will approach this challenge as I have others––and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done,” she wrote. “I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”