Gymnast Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics floor competition following an Olympics court ruling.
On Saturday, Aug. 10, five days after the women's final floor competition, the International Olympic Committee (IO) announced that a judge from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of two Romanian gymnasts—Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Manexa-Voinea—therefore determining that Chiles has been incorrectly awarded third place.
Initially, Chiles finished fifth in the competition with a score of 13.666, NBC reports. Shortly after, Chiles' coach "filed an inquiry into the calculation of her difficulty score," according to the news outlet, which was ultimately accepted and increased Chiles' score to 13.766, which bumped her up to third place to secure the bronze medal.
However, the two Romanian gymnasts argued that the inquiry was filed too late to be received. According to NBC, the CAS decided the inquiry did indeed come "after the required time frame of one minute."
According to the outlet, Chiles' inquiry was submitted one minute and four seconds after her routine.
In a statement provided to NBC, the IOC said the organization is "in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal."
According to USA columnist Christine Brennan, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is planning to appeal the ruling.
".We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FC) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed," the USOPC said in a written statement shared by Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"The initial error occurred in the scoring by the FIG, and the second error was during the CAS appeal process, where the USOPC was not given adequate time or notice to effectively challenge the decision," the statement continued. "As a result, we were not properly represented or afforded the opportunity to present our case comprehensively. Given the circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to ensure that Jordan Chiles receives the recognition she deserves. We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly."
After Chiles was stripped of her medal, multiple gymnasts, including Simone Biles, game to her defense and offered her support.
"Sending you so much love Jordan. Keep your chin up olympic champ! We love you!" Biles posted on her Instagram Stories, along with a photo of the pair hugging at the Olympics and as Chiles is clearly emotional.
In a subsequent post, Biles shared a post featuring a quote from fellow gymnast Sunisa Lee, who also spoke out in support of Chiles.
"All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges?? Completely unacceptable," Lee said. "This is awful and I’m gutted for Jordan."
