Jordan Chiles has reacted after his bronze medal score was overturned by a tribunal following an appeal of the final gymnastics floor results at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
While some details remain unclear, the Team USA star took to social media to react to the decision.
In her Instagram story, the Olympic gymnast posted a series of broken heart emojis and said she would be “removing myself from social media for my mental health.”
USA Gymnastics, in a joint statement with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said Chiles has been the subject of “constant, completely unfounded and extremely hurtful attacks on social media” since winning her medal.
“No athlete should be subjected to such treatment,” the statement read. “We condemn the attacks and those who commit, support or incite them. We commend Jordan for her integrity, both on and off the field of competition, and we continue to support her.”
What was the decision?
The reactions come after Chiles’ score was reversed by an Olympic tribunal, where officials ruled in favour of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, which challenged a last-minute change that saw Chiles take third place.
According to the decision, the Romanian committee argued that a controversial investigation by the U.S. team’s coaches following the results of the floor final, which led to an unexpected increase in Chiles’ score, was done after the one-minute time limit and should not have been allowed.
The International Gymnastics Federation and the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the time limit was actually more than a minute and voted to overturn Chiles’ score.
“The request made on behalf of Ms. Jordan Chiles in the Women’s Floor Exercise Final was raised after the one-minute time limit set out in Article 8.5 of the FIG 2024 Technical Regulations had expired and is deemed to be without effect,” the decision states. “The original score of 13.666 awarded to Ms. Jordan Chiles in the Women’s Floor Exercise Final will be reinstated.”
USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said they were “devastated” by the decision.
“The inquiry into the difficulty rating of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believe, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” the groups said in a statement.
What happened to Chiles’ score?
After Monday’s women’s final, American star Jordan Chiles looked unlikely to medal, finishing fifth with a score of 13.666. But while fans expected to see silver medalist Simone Biles as the only American on the podium, Chiles was seen leaping into the air.
“I was the first to see… I jumped for joy,” Chiles, who lost his voice while shouting and clapping, told reporters after the event.
The U.S. team filed a protest on Chiles’ difficulty score, which was then reviewed by the judges and, unexpectedly, his score was adjusted. Chiles’ score was revised to 13.766, just enough to give him the bronze medal.
That left Maneca-Voinea and teammate Ana Barbosu without a medal after each finishing with a score of 13.700.
The challenge was over Chiles’ Tour Jete Full, one of the elements of her routine that the U.S. team said was not scored properly. Chiles was not credited for the move in qualifying and the team final, they said. The judges agreed, and the decision allowed Chiles to pass Maneca-Voinea and Barbosu and take third place.
What did the Romanian team say?
In response, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday that he would not attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics in protest.
“I have decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonourable manner,” Ciolacu wrote on Facebook. “Removing a medal won for honest work on the basis of an appeal… is totally unacceptable!”
He said the gymnasts will always be honored as medalists, writing: “You have with you an entire nation for whom your work and your tears are more precious than any medal, no matter what precious metal they come from.”
Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci also reacted, writing in frustration in a message on X: “I can’t believe we are playing with athletes with mental health and emotions like this.”
The Romanian appeal was sent Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Romanian Olympic Committee told NBC Chicago’s Alex Maragos, who is covering the 2024 Olympics from Paris.
What does this mean for Chiles’ medal?
The answer remains unclear.
The decision states that even if the score is reversed, the International Gymnastics Federation will determine the final floor exercise ranking and “award the medals.”
According to NBC News, a similar situation decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2022 would suggest that if the scores were adjusted in Maneca-Voinea’s favor, she could be awarded a bronze medal while Chiles would keep her medal.
