Jordan Chiles, a U.S. gymnast, has been ordered to return her bronze medal from the Olympic floor exercise final, as announced by Olympic officials on Sunday. This ruling follows an independent arbitrator’s decision from Saturday that nullified a late inquiry made by Chiles’ coaching team during the competition. This inquiry had previously increased Chiles’ score by a tenth of a point, allowing her to move from fifth to third place.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that it would “reallocate” the bronze to Ana Barbosu of Romania, who originally finished in fourth place. The IOC stated it is coordinating with the National Olympic Committee of Romania regarding the medal reallocation ceremony and with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) regarding the return of the bronze medal.
In response to the ruling, the USOPC announced it plans to appeal, arguing that Chiles deserved the medal and highlighting significant errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation and the appeal process conducted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Chiles had performed last in the competition, initially receiving a score of 13.666. After a successful inquiry by her coaches, her score was adjusted to 13.766, placing her ahead of Barbosu and another Romanian gymnast, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. However, Romanian officials later protested, claiming that the inquiry was submitted too late. The CAS ultimately agreed, reinstating her original score and moving Chiles back to fifth place.
Following this process, the IOC announced the reallocation of medals. The floor exercise medal ceremony had been highly celebrated, notably for being the first instance where all medalists in an Olympic gymnastics event were Black. During the ceremony, Chiles and her teammate Simone Biles showcased a moment of sportsmanship by bowing to the gold medalist, Rebeca Andrade of Brazil.
The USOPC and USA Gymnastics expressed their devastation over the decision and reiterated their support for Chiles, condemning the negative social media attacks she faced following the controversy. They highlighted that the inquiry was filed in good faith to ensure accurate scoring.
The incident has drawn criticism regarding the judging and decision-making processes associated with the event. Observers noted potential errors, including that Maneca-Voinea may have been penalized incorrectly, which could have affected her final standing.
In light of the ongoing disputes, Romanian officials also requested reevaluation of Maneca-Voinea’s routine score and suggested that all involved gymnasts should receive bronze medals, but both requests were denied by the court.
As the situation unfolds, Chiles’ case stands amidst a historical backdrop where medal returns commonly stem from doping violations or eligibility rule breaches, with some instances allowing competitors to share disputed medals in cases of scoring disputes.