Fans Outraged by Major Ruling Potentially Affecting Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal
Fans have expressed their outrage online after learning that a new ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) could affect the bronze medal that U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles was awarded in the women’s floor exercise competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
The Aug. 5 event has been mired in controversy over the last several days as coaches for the U.S. and Romanian teams filed inquiries over their athletes’ scores. Chiles, who won gold in the all-around team competition earlier in the Summer Games, initially received a score that placed her fifth in the individual women’s floor exercise. Romanian gymnast Ana B?rbosu, whose final score matched teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea’s, initially appeared to have won bronze due to her elevated execution score, according to the Associated Press.
After Chiles’ coaches filed an inquiry over her score, the judges revised it, bumping her to third place above B?rbosu and Maneca-Voinea. Chiles participated in the medal ceremony, officially receiving bronze for her performance. But that wasn’t the end of the story, as the Romanian gymnasts’ coaches filed a protest of their own, arguing that Chiles’ coaches filed their inquiry after the one-minute deadline the event required.
CAS’ latest ruling on the matter was released on Saturday, Aug. 10. The ruling agreed with the Romanian coaches that Chiles’ team filed her inquiry too late, and reinstated her initial score.
It was not immediately clear if Chiles would be asked to return her bronze medal. According to a Saturday press release issued by the CAS, the involved parties requested that Chiles, B?rbosu and Maneca-Voinea all be awarded third place and receive medals. The CAS had as of Saturday not released an updated ranking list or medal decision.
Both USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee said they were “devastated” by the ruling.
“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,” the organizations said in a joint statement.
The statement added that Chiles “has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media” as the appeal process progressed.
“No athlete should be subject to such treatment,” the statement continued. “We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her.”
Upon hearing Saturday’s update, fans online were equally dismayed by the ruling.
“The judges need be sanctioned…not the athlete,” one fan wrote on Instagram, adding that Chiles “did her job!!”
Athletes “shouldn't be penalized for the judges lack of scoring correctly,” another person wrote.
“Does their protest have to come within a minute too?” one person asked of the Romanian athletes. “If not, how is that fair?”
“What an emotional Rollercoaster. Get it right or implement a new rule to prevent this in the future,” one Instagram user urged.
Despite that “rollercoaster” of emotions, many fans assured Chiles they still supported her and her Olympic efforts.
"Jordan, we love you. You will always be our golden girl,” one person wrote.
“I am sick for Jordan. I hope she knows how many people love her and support her. Also, I'm ready to ride at dawn. ??,” another fan declared.
