Olympians Support Jordan Chiles Over Stripped Medal Controversy, Romanian Gymnast Reacts

The decision came early Sunday morning from Paris, days after the floor competition. At the time, Chiles scored a 13.666, which would have landed her in fifth place, behind Romanian gymnasts Bărbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. But Chiles’ coaches appealed and were granted a review based on the difficulty of the routine. Her score was then elevated by one-tenth of a point, bringing her to third place.

Following an appeal from the Romanian Federation of Gymnastics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, decided Chiles’ coaches challenged the decision 64 seconds after the scores were posted — when the deadline for such an action is exactly one minute. The ruling knocked her back down to fifth, with the bronze going to Bărbosu and Maneca-Voinea moving up to fourth.

Reacting to the ruling, Bărbosu took to Instagram on Sunday to say, “Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger.”

“I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share same podium. This is my true dream,” she continued. “This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation. We, athletes are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful. I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world.”

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced on Sunday that they plan to appeal the decision.

“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,” they wrote in a statement.

“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. As a result, we were not properly represented or afforded the opportunity to present our case comprehensively,” it continued.

“Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves,” the statement concluded. “We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.”

Before the decision was finalized, Chiles took to Instagram to say, “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you.” She has not commented further on the ruling.

Simone Biles, who won silver in the same category, showed support for Chiles on Instagram Saturday. Sharing a photo of them together, she wrote, “Sending you so much love Jordan. Keep your chin up Olympic champ! We love you!”

Fellow US gymnast Suni Lee also reacted with outrage on Saturday.

“All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges? Completely unacceptable,” she wrote on Instagram. “This is awful and I’m gutted for Jordan. I got your back forever Jo, [you] have all my flowers and you will always be an Olympic champion.”

Though he wasn’t competing this year, Australian gymnast and Olympian Heath Thorpe also expressed his disappointment. “Why are the athletes the ones to suffer due to a judging error/oversight?” he asked. “Where is the accountability? Where is the ‘athlete wellbeing’ that is spoken of so often?”

Ice skating Olympian Adam Rippon said he had “some issues” with the ruling.

“If someone called me after the official results and podium and told me that I have to give back the bronze medal. From my cold dead hands, okay? I’d be on a flight back to LAX, that thing would be in a safe, you’d never see it again,” he began. “Call the blacksmith and have him make a new one because that’s the only way you’re gonna get a bronze medal from me. Absolutely no way.”

Watch his full reaction below: