Jordan Chiles issued a statement on social media in which she reacted to the “devastating news” that her Olympic bronze medal has been stripped. The U.S. gymnast originally took home the medal in the women’s floor exercise competition. But the International Olympic Committee announced Aug. 11 that Chiles had to return to the medal, which would be reallocated to gymnast Ana Barbosu of Romania.
“While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away,” Chiles wrote. “I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.”
“I have no words,” she added. “This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey. To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are 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.”
During the women’s floor exercise final on Aug. 5, Chiles initially earned a score of 13.666, which placed her fifth, right behind Romania’s Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. The two Romanian gymnasts finished with matching scores of 13.700, although Barbosu secured the bronze via a tiebreaker due to her higher execution score. However, USA gymnastics coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi filed an on-floor appeal and argued that Chiles’ score was incorrect due to the routine’s level of difficulty. The judges agreed and adjusted Chiles’ score by 0.1, which gave her the bronze medal over Barbosu.
The controversial change prompted the Romanian team to file its own appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that noted Team USA’s original appeal occurred outside the one-minute time limit to question the judges’ scores. CAS agreed with the Romanians’ point about the time limit, ruling that Team USA’s appeal came one minute and four seconds after Chiles’ score was posted. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) restored the original scoring in the wake of the court’s ruling, effectively stripping Chiles of the bronze medal.
“I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship and the rules that dictate fairness,” Chiles wrote in her statement. “I have taken pride in cheering on everyone regardless of team or country. Finding joy again has been a culture shift and I love seeing others embrace it. I feel like I have given everyone permission to be authentic to who they are.”
“I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career,” she added. “Believe me when I say I have had many. I will approach this challenge as I have others – and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”
After Chiles was asked to give the medal back, the USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a joint statement that the original appeal to correct Chiles’ score for the floor exercise “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,” the statement added. “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.”
Read Chiles’ full message on the matter in the Instagram post below.
Source Agencies
