American gymnast Jordan Chiles must return bronze medal after court mandates score change, IOC says
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American gymnast Jordan Chiles must return the bronze medal she won in the Paris Olympics floor exercise after sport's highest court said her score was judged improperly, the International Olympic Committee confirmed on Sunday.
The IOC announced early on Sunday it was reallocating the bronze from Monday's women's floor final to Romanian Ana Barbosu after the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said Saturday night it would respect the court's decision and elevate Barbosu to third.
The decision came less than 24 hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided a scoring appeal made by Team USA coach Cecile Landi during the competition that had vaulted Chiles onto the podium.
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CAS ruled on Saturday that the on-floor appeal by Landi to have 0.1 added to Chiles' score came outside the one-minute window allowed by the FIG.
The ad hoc committee wrote that Landi's inquiry came one minute and four seconds after the score was posted.
The IOC said in a statement it will be in touch with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee regarding the return of Chiles' bronze and will work with the Romanian Olympic Committee to discuss a reallocation ceremony honouring Barbosu.
CAS wrote on Saturday that the initial finishing order should be restored, with Barbosu third, Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth.
The organisation added the FIG should determine the final ranking "in accordance with the above decision," but left it to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to decide who would get the medal behind gold winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and silver medalist Simone Biles of the US.
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The FIG said it was the IOC's call on whether to reallocate the medal.
The IOC confirmed on Sunday it would respect FIG's decision and seek to have Chiles' medal returned.
Jordan Chiles competes during the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals. AP
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation had asked for three bronze medals to be awarded.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu reacted to the ruling by saying “justice has been served” and that “in the end, the truth prevailed”.
Ana Barbosu of Romania will be reinstated as the bronze medallist. Getty
The ruling adds another layer to what has been a difficult few days for all three athletes.
Romanian gymnastics legend and 1976 Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci feared for Barbosu's mental health because of the wrenching sequence in which she went from bronze medalist to fourth-place finisher.
“I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this… let’s protect them,” Comaneci posted on X earlier in the week.
Comaneci, at the same time, criticised 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.
Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles celebrate after the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals. AP
Chiles hinted at the decision in an Instagram story on Sunday, indicating she is heartbroken and is “taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you”.
Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea were left outside the medals in the floor final after finishing with matching scores of 13.700.
Barbosu thought she had won bronze over Maneca-Voinea via a tiebreaker — a higher execution score — and began celebrating with a Romanian flag.
Chiles was the last athlete to compete and initially given a score of 13.666 that placed her fifth, right behind Maneca-Voinea. Landi called for an inquiry on Chiles' score.
“At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like ‘We’re just going to try,'” Landi said after the awards ceremony.
“I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen, but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like ‘What?’”
Judges awarded the appeal, leapfrogging Chiles past Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for the last spot on the podium.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement it is “devastated” by the ruling.
“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,” the organisation wrote.
The 23-year-old Chiles became a target on social media in the aftermath of the late switch, with critics asking her to give back the medal or offering racist remarks.
Chiles posted on X earlier this week that “it's funny how people can still never be happy for someone”.
“Sending you so much love Jordan," Biles posted on Instagram.
“Keep your chin up ‘Olympic champ’ we love you.”
“All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges?" teammate Sunisa Lee added on Instagram.
"Completely unacceptable, this is awful and I’m gutted for Jordan.”
Barbosu made it a point after returning home to Romania that she had no problem with Chiles.
"I only want for everybody to be fair, we don’t want to start picking on other athletes of any nationality,” Barbosu told reporters.
“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.”
Chiles' mother, Gina, called out the critics in a post, writing she was “tired” of the derogatory comments being levelled at Jordan.
“My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched,” she posted.
“And she’s being called disgusting things.”
Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bow to gold medallist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil during the medal ceremony for individual floor finals. AP Photo/Abbie Parr
The uncertainty also tinges what had been a beautiful moment on the medal stand, when Chiles and Biles knelt to honour Andrade after the Brazilian star won her fourth medal in Paris.
“It was just the right thing to do,” Biles said about a moment that soon went viral, with even the Louvre itself suggesting it might be worthy enough for a spot somewhere in the vicinity of the Mona Lisa.
That memory now carries a complicated and emotional postscript.
