Jordan Chiles has had her Olympic bronze medal revoked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has decided to award the medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu. This surprising ruling was made six days after Jordan made history with Simone Biles (silver) and Rebeca Andrade (gold) on the first all-Black Olympic gymnastics podium. Here’s a look at the events leading up to this decision and how Jordan, her family, and Team USA are reacting.
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What happened to Jordan Chiles?
Jordan’s initial score was 13.666, but U.S. gymnastics coach Cecile Landi challenged the difficulty score specifically, and—following review—Jordan’s final score was bumped up by 1/10 of a point to 13.766, earning her bronze.
This meant Ana Bărbosu didn’t medal, and the Romanian team wasn’t thrilled. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said in a Facebook statement, “I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner. To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!”
Meanwhile, Jordan told CBS Mornings, “There were so many emotions going through my body in that moment…It was a surreal moment…I saw the score change and I was just like, ‘What is going on? Is this real? Is this happening?’ I was just, again, in that moment just very happy and obviously happy for the other athletes as well.”
A Court of Arbitration Said Team USA’s Appeal Came Too Late
Team Romania questioned Team USA’s initial appeal on the grounds that it allegedly came too late, and CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) ruled that the inquiry was filed “beyond the 1-minute deadline.”
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Following the CAS decision, Team USA released a statement saying, “We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise. 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.”