US Gymnast Jordan Chiles Stripped Of Olympic Medal? 5 Things To Know

Jordan Chiles, who won bronze in the women's gymnastics floor event at the Paris Olympics, has reportedly been asked to return her medal due to a score change. Romania's Ana Barbosu has replaced her in the third place after the Court of Arbitration for Sports (Cas) upheld that Chiles' appeal for a score boost fell outside the one-minute limit. The American gymnast has now been dropped to fifth place, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) confirmed. 

Here are 5 key details about the Jordan Chiles bronze medal controversy.

How Jordan Chiles Finished 5th But Won Bronze

The issue started on August 5, during the floor event finals. Romania's Ana Barbosu and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea both finished with a score of 13.700. Barbosu was then assured a bronze medal via a tie-breaker. Meanwhile, Jordan Chiles was given a score of 13.666, putting her in fifth place. However, the American coach Cecile Landi called for an inquiry on her score, demanding 'credit' for a unique skill she performed. After a review, the judges bumped Chiles’ total by 0.1, winning her the bronze medal.

Cas Heard Romania's Appeal

The Romanian Olympic Committee later approached the Cas, the apex court in sports, stating that Ana Barbosu was the rightful winner of the bronze medal. According to the FIG, teams are allowed to appeal for a score change within one minute, however, Chiles' coach reportedly exceeded this by four seconds. The Cas declared its decision on August 10.

Decision In Favour Of Romania

The Cas ruled that Ana Barbosu must replace Jordan Chiles in the third place. FIG spokesperson Meike Behrensen said in an email to the Associated Press that “reallocation of medals is the responsibility of the IOC”. The Romanian gymnastics federation has reportedly asked for three bronze medals to be awarded. The Romanian prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, reacted to the ruling by saying “justice has been served” and that “in the end, the truth prevailed”.

#Bronze for Ana Barbosu. 🇷🇴

Following the CAS decision on the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final and the amendment of the ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation, @olympicromania will be awarded bronze in this event.@gymnastics | #Gymnastics |… pic.twitter.com/zmqPeIIm4a

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 11, 2024

Team USA Responds To Cas' Ruling 

Jordan Chiles recently posted on Instagram, "I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health. Thank you." USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement that Jordan Chiles had been subjected to hurtful comments on social media. They said, "The inquiry into the difficulty value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring." 

“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media. No athlete should be subject to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her," the statement read.

Ana Barbosu Responds, Criticises Judges

Amid the controversy, both athletes had been facing a barrage of hateful messages on their social media, adding to the concerns of their teams. However, Barbosu asserted that she had no problem with Chiles and told the media that she wished the scoring system was more fair. "I only want for everybody to be fair, we don’t want to start picking on other athletes of any nationality. We as athletes don’t deserve something like that, we only want to perform as best as we can and to be rewarded based on our performance. The problems lie with the judges, with their calculations and decisions.”

Veteran Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, the 1976 Olympic champion, expressed concern over Barbosu's mental health after the bronze medal was awarded to Chiles. "I can’t believe we play with athletes' mental health and emotions like this… let’s protect them,” Comaneci posted on X (Twitter). At the same time, she criticized the judges for the way they scored Maneca-Voinea’s routine – the gymnast was docked 0.1 points for stepping out of bounds, but viral replays showed she narrowly stayed inbounds. Comaneci urged the Romanian Olympic Committee to protest, which it did, but Cas denied that appeal.