American gymnast Jordan Chiles faces the loss of her Olympic bronze medal in the women's floor exercise final after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the judging panel improperly granted an inquiry that boosted her score.
American gymnast Jordan Chiles may lose her Olympic bronze medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the judging panel at the event had improperly granted an inquiry that increased her score, moving her into bronze medal position over Romania's Ana Barbosu.
The Switzerland-based court ruled that the appeal had been submitted past the one-minute deadline for inquiries and therefore should not have been granted. Barbosu had initially clinched the bronze medal for floor on Monday and began celebrating on the mat. However, U.S. coaches appealed to judges over Chiles' score, and a review resulted in a 0.1-point increase, which moved Chiles ahead of Barbosu for the bronze medal.
Olympic Controversy: Jordan Chiles May Lose Bronze Medal After Incorrect Scoring
The CAS has now said that Chiles should have received a score of 13.666 in the event, which would have placed her fifth, just shy of the Olympic podium. USA Gymnastics and USOPCE issued a statement expressing their devastation over the ruling. They condemned the baseless and hurtful attacks Chiles has faced on social media, commending her integrity both on and off the floor.
Jordan Chiles posted a series of emotional messages on Instagram in response to the ruling, including one that showed a series of broken heart emojis and another announcing her departure from social media. Her teammate Suni Lee criticized the judges' erroneous decision on her own Instagram Stories.
Olympic Controversy: Jordan Chiles May Lose Bronze Medal After Incorrect Scoring
Chiles' bronze resulted in the floor final's podium being the first Olympic gymnastics podium in history to have three Black medalists, alongside silver medalist Simone Biles and gold medalist Rebeca Andrade from Brazil. The moment was marked by a symbolic image of Biles and Chiles bowing on either side of Andrade, who raised her fists in celebration.
However, Barbosu's reaction was one of disappointment and heartbreak. Holding a Romanian flag, she witnessed the scoring change on the board and dropped the flag, covering her face with her hands as she walked away in tears.
Olympic Controversy: Jordan Chiles May Lose Bronze Medal After Incorrect Scoring
The initial ruling sparked a wave of backlash. Gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci condemned the score change on social media, and Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced a boycott of the Paris Olympics' closing ceremony over the scoring decision. The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee subsequently appealed the decision.
The CAS has left it up to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to determine who will ultimately receive the bronze medal. Jordan Chiles' Olympic fate hangs in the balance as she faces the consequences of an incorrect scoring decision that has overshadowed her performance.
Olympic Controversy: Jordan Chiles May Lose Bronze Medal After Incorrect Scoring
