United States gymnastics star Jordan Chiles has broken her silence on a controversial decision to strip her of the bronze medal she earned at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
At first, Chiles was scored as finishing fifth in the women’s floor event with a score of 13.666, but her score was then bumped up by 0.1 following an inquiry from her coach that revealed that her routine was scored incorrectly by the judges. The new score gave her the bronze medal over Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who had already begun celebrating her apparent bronze medal victory.
However, following an appeal from Romania, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the inquiry from the United States was “untimely,” as it came four seconds after the limit of one minute to submit an inquiry. So Chiles was stripped of her medal and it was given to Barbosu, even though Chiles’ accurate score was higher.
The United States has since provided conclusive evidence showing that the inquiry was indeed submitted in time and was not “untimely,” as the Court of Arbitration for Sport determined, but the CAS said it was not able to overturn its decision, stating that “rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented.”
Chiles has remained mostly silent on the controversy up to this point, but she broke her silence this week to express her frustration with the decision and the process as well as the racially-charged criticism that she has received.
— Jordan Chiles (@ChilesJordan) August 15, 2024
“I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days. I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG, and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time. While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. 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. 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.
“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. 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. 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.”
The United States has vowed to keep fighting to have Chiles’ bronze medal restored.
