The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) plans to appeal the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to reallocate Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal.
“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 [Court of Arbitration for Sport] appeal process that need to be addressed,” the USOPC said in a Sunday, August 11, statement to the Associated Press. “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.”
Us Weekly has reached out to the USOPC for comment.
Team Romania filed an inquiry into Chiles’ Monday, August 5, medal placement one day after the competition, citing that the difficulty appeal was requested by Team USA four seconds after the allotted deadline. FIG and CAS ruled in favor of the Romanian inquiry on Saturday, August 10, noting that it was up to the IOC to determine who should keep the bronze medal.
Simone Biles and More Gymnasts Support Jordan Chiles Amid Medal Drama
On Sunday, the IOC noted in a statement that Ana Barbosu should get the reallocated bronze as she had a higher initial score than Chiles, 23.
“Following the CAS decision with regard to the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final and the amendment of the ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation, the IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu,” the IOC’s statement reads. “We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal.”
Team USA, meanwhile, has been “devastated” by the inquiry.
What Is Happening With Jordan Chiles and Romania’s Bronze Medal Inquiry?
“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,” a Saturday statement from USA Gymnastics read. “Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media.”
The statement concluded, “No athlete should be subject to such treatment. 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.”
Chiles plans to take a social media hiatus to refocus on her mental health in light of the controversy. Her fellow Team USA gymnasts — Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera — are all standing in her corner.
“Don’t punish the athlete for someone else’s mistake,” Carey, 24, wrote via her Instagram Story on Saturday. “[I’m] with you all the way, Jo. You are forever an Olympic champion [who] has so much to be proud of.”
