A Sunday ruling means American gymnast Jordan Chiles must return her Olympic medal. U.S. Olympic officials are appealing the verdict.
Chiles competed last on the floor exercises in Paris. Her initial score placed her fifth. But Coach Cecile 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 says.
Judges awarded the appeal. The new score leapfrogged Chiles past Romanians Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea—and gave her third place.
Now the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has voided Landi’s appeal. CAS officials ruled that Landi’s inquiry came four seconds outside the one-minute time limit for scoring inquiries.
USA Gymnastics officials dispute the timing. They cite video showing Landi appealed twice before the deadline.
“The time-stamped, video evidence submitted by USA Gymnastics Sunday evening shows Team USA coach Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted,” official wrote.
The dispute over these tiny details could become a months- or years-long legal battle.
Meanwhile, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) says it will elevate Barbosu to third. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the ruling on Sunday. It will transfer the medal.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) disagrees with the decision. “We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by . . . FIG and the subsequent CAS appeal process,” a USOPC statement says.
Next steps for USA Gymnastics are unclear. The group’s appeal could head to Switzerland’s highest court or to the European Court of Human Rights.
The back-and-forth has made for a difficult few days for the athletes involved.
Romanian gymnastics legend and 1976 Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci expressed concern for Barbosu as she went from bronze medalist to fourth-place finisher and back.
“I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this . . . let’s protect them,” Comaneci posted on X.
Chiles says she is heartbroken. She says she’s “taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health.”
The conflict also taints a beautiful moment on the medal stand, when Chiles and fellow gymnast Simone Biles knelt to honor Brazilian Rebeca Andrade after she won gold in Paris.
“Sending you so much love Jordan,” Biles posted on Instagram. “Keep your chin up ‘Olympic champ,’ we love you.”
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. — Proverbs 13:12
