Team USA’s bid to have Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal reinstated at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been denied.
Just a day after presenting new video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport allegedly showing that Chiles’ coach had submitted a score inquiry within the allowed one-minute timeframe, USA Gymnastics announced that CAS declined to re-award Chiles her bronze medal for her performance in the individual floor exercise.
“USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” read a statement shared on August 12 via USA Gymnastics’ X account.
The organization expressed profound disappointment over the decision and vowed to explore all available avenues, including an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure fair scoring and proper medal placement for Chiles.
The ruling solidifies the earlier decision made by the International Olympic Committee which determined that Chiles’ score inquiry was filed four seconds too late.
As a result, the bronze medal in the individual floor exercise, initially awarded to Chiles, was reallocated to Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who had been pushed to fourth place following Chiles’ initial score adjustment.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation echoed the CAS ruling in a statement on Aug. 12, affirming that the CAS had based its decision on “official records provided by the International Gymnastics Federation, unchallenged by any side during the proceedings.”
Chiles’ updated score of 13.766 had been stripped after CAS invalidated her coach’s inquiry, determining it had been filed four seconds past the one-minute deadline set by the International Gymnastics Federation.
USA Gymnastics had introduced “time-stamped, video evidence” on Aug. 11, claiming it demonstrated that the inquiry was submitted within 47 seconds of the score posting and a second statement was made 55 seconds after the score was originally posted.
Despite this, CAS upheld its decision. In response to the rejection, Chiles announced she would be taking a break from social media to focus on her mental health.
Fellow Team USA gymnasts, including Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and Hezley Rivera, rallied around Chiles, offering her emotional support amid the controversy.
“Sending you so much love, Jordan,” Biles—who secured a silver medal in the same individual floor event—wrote on her Instagram Stories. “Keep your chin up, Olympic champ! We love you!”
Lee added her voice to the support, posting on her own Instagram Story, “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.”
The controversy began after Chiles’ coach filed an inquiry following her floor exercise final, leading to a 0.1-point increase in her score, which elevated her to third place.
However, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, along with Romanian finalists Ana Maria Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who had finished fourth and fifth respectively, appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
They argued that the inquiry should have been dismissed as it was submitted four seconds past the allowed time limit.
CAS agreed with the Romanian appeal and ruled that Chiles’ original score of 13.666 would be reinstated, a decision subsequently upheld by the FIG.
Consequently, the IOC announced the reallocation of the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu, stating, “We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal.”
