U.S. Olympic Officials To Appeal Decision To Strip Jordan Chiles Of Bronze Medal

PARIS U.S. Olympic officials say they will appeal a court ruling that resulted in American gymnast Jordan Chiles being asked to return the bronze medal  she won in the Paris Olympics  floor exercise.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) voided an on-floor appeal by Chiles coach  that vaulted her to third, saying the appeal came 4 seconds beyond the 1-minute time limit for scoring inquiries.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said Saturday night it would respect the courts decision  and elevate Barbosu to third. The International Olympic Committee confirmed the ruling Sunday, announcing that it was reallocating the bronze from last Mondays womens floor final to Romanian Ana Barbosu.

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 (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee statement said.

CAS ruled Saturday that Team USA coach Cecile Landis appeal to have 0.1 added to Chiles score came outside the 1-minute window allowed by the FIG. The ad hoc committee wrote that Landis inquiry came 1 minute, 4 seconds after Chiles initial score was posted.

The IOC said in a statement it will be in touch with the USOPC regarding the return of Chiles bronze and will work with the Romanian Olympic Committee to discuss a reallocation ceremony honoring Barbosu.

The initial error occurred in the scoring by 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, said the USOPC statement, which was released Sunday.

It was unclear the exact process the appeal would take first.

CAS wrote Saturday that the initial finishing order should be restored, with Barbosu third, Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth. The organization added the FIG should determine the final ranking in accordance with the above decision, but left it up to the federation to decide who would get the medal behind gold winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and silver medalist Simone Biles of the U.S.

The FIG said it was the IOCs call on whether to reallocate the medal. The IOC confirmed Sunday it would respect FIGs decision and seek to have Chiles medal returned.

The rapid turn of events 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 Barbosus mental health because of the wrenching sequence in which she went from bronze medalist to fourth-place finisher.

I cant believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this lets protect them, Comaneci posted on X  earlier in the week.

Comaneci, at the same time, criticized the judges for the way they scored Maneca-Voineas 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.

Chiles hinted at the decision in an Instagram story  on Saturday, indicating she is heartbroken and is taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you.

Jazmin Chiles, Jordans sister, said on Instagram that Chiles was stripped of a medal not because she wasnt good enough. But because the judges failed to give her difficulty and forced an inquiry to be made.

U.S. teammates offered support to Chiles, a two-time Olympian.

Sending you so much love Jordan, American star Simone Biles posted on Instagram . Keep your chin up Olympic champ we love you.

All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges? six-time Olympic medalist Sunisa Lee  added on Instagram. Completely unacceptable, this is awful and Im gutted for jordan.

USA Gymnastics said in a statement on Saturday 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 organization wrote.

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 was announced.

At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like Were just going to try, Landi said after the awards ceremony. I honestly didnt 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.

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 dont want to start picking on other athletes of any nationality, Barbosu told reporters. We as athletes dont 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 Chiles, called out the critics in a post, writing she was tired of the derogatory comments being leveled at Jordan.

My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched, Gina Chiles posted. And shes being called disgusting things.

The uncertainty also tinges what had been a beautiful moment  on the medal stand, when Chiles and Biles knelt to honor 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.