American gymnast Jordan Chiles could lose the Olympic bronze medal she won in the women’s floor exercise final.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the Swiss judging committee improperly allowed an investigation to inflate Chile’s points, awarding the team the bronze medal over Romania’s Ana Barbos. The Switzerland-based tribunal ruled that the appeal was filed after the one-minute deadline for an investigation had passed and therefore should not have been allowed.
Barbos began celebrating on the mat after winning bronze on floor exercise on Monday, but then U.S. coaches protested to the judges about Chiles’ score, which was reviewed and added 0.1 points to Chiles, who beat Barbos to the bronze medal.
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Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles of Team USA pose with their Paris 2024 Olympic medals after the women’s floor exercise final in artistic gymnastics on day 10 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena on August 5, 2024 in Paris, France. (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
But the arbitration tribunal said Chiles should have received 13.666 points in the event, a score that would have put her in fifth place, just outside the Olympic podium.
USA Gymnastics and the USOPCE said in a statement they were “shocked” by the ruling.
“Throughout the appeals process, Ms. Jordan has been subjected to consistent, completely unfounded and extremely hurtful attacks on social media. No athlete should be treated this way. We condemn the attacks and those who participate in, aid or abet them. We commend Ms. Jordan for conducting herself with integrity on and off the field and we continue to stand by her and support her.”
Jordan Chiles (right) of the United States reacts to winning the bronze medal as teammate Simone Biles (left) shares her joy during the women’s artistic gymnastics individual floor final at the Bercy Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, on Monday, August 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Abby Parr)
The CAS said it was up to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to decide who would win medals.
Following the verdict, Childs posted a series of emotional Instagram stories on Saturday, including one filled with broken heart emojis and another in which she announced she was retiring from social media.
“I have decided to take this time away from social media for the sake of my mental health,” Childs wrote.
Olympic legend Nadia Comaneci slams judges for controversial floor exercise score change
Chiles’ teammate Suni Lee took to her Instagram Story on Saturday to criticize the judges for making the wrong decision.
“All this talk about the athletes and what about the officiating?? Totally unacceptable. Terrible. Disappointing for Jordan,” Lee wrote. “Joe I am forever on your side. You have my bouquet. You will always be an Olympic champion.”
Childs’ bronze medal marked the first time in Olympic gymnastics history that three black athletes have stood on the podium in the floor exercise final.
Simone Biles (silver medal), Rebecca Andrade of Brazil (gold medal) and Jordan Chiles of the United States (bronze medal) demonstrate sportsmanship during the awards ceremony for the women’s floor exercise in gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games held at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 5, 2024. (Gabriel Bui/AFP via Getty Images)
Chilis joined her US teammate Simone Biles, who won silver, and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who won gold. In dramatic scenes on the podium, Biles, 27, and Chilis, 23, bowed their heads while Andrade, 25, her Brazilian opponent, pumped her fists in celebration.
Meanwhile, Barbos was holding the Romanian flag, but when he looked up and saw the score on the board change, he dropped the flag, covered his face with his hands and walked away in tears.
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The initial ruling sparked a backlash: gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci denounced the score change on social media, and Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Colac said on Tuesday he would boycott the games. Paris Olympics‘ A controversy erupted at the closing ceremony over the scoring decisions.
The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee announced on Wednesday that it would appeal the decision.
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