Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her bronze Olympic medal by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who recently ruled that the medal will go to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu. This shocking decision came six full days after Jordan made history alongside Simone Biles (who won silver) and Rebeca Andrade (who won gold) as part of the first all-Black Olympic gymnastics podium. Here’s what happened and how Jordan, her family, and Team USA are responding.
August 5, 2024
Jordan initially medaled in the Women’s Individual Floor Exercise. Her score was 13.666, but U.S. gymnastics coach Cecile Landi challenged the difficulty score specifically, and—following review—Jordan’s final score was bumped up by 1/10 of a point to 13.766, earning her bronze.
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August 6, 2024
So… ^^^ this meant Ana Bărbosu didn’t medal, and the Romanian team wasn’t thrilled. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said in a Facebook statement, “I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner. To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!”
August 9, 2024
Jordan told CBS Mornings, “There were so many emotions going through my body in that moment…It was a surreal moment…I saw the score change and I was just like, ‘What is going on? Is this real? Is this happening?’ I was just, again, in that moment just very happy and obviously happy for the other athletes as well.”
August 10, 2024
Team Romania questioned Team USA’s initial appeal on the grounds that it allegedly came too late, and CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) ruled that the inquiry was filed “beyond the 1-minute deadline.”
Following the CAS decision, Team USA released a statement saying, “We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise. 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.”
“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media,” the statement continued. “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.”
Jordan also announced that she was taking a break from social media for her mental health as she awaited the IOC’s decision.
Simone Biles, for her part, spoke out with a message of support for her teammate:
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Meanwhile, Jordan’s sister issued a statement about the racism Jordan has faced since winning bronze. She also noted that Jordan’s bronze was stripped over “4 seconds of time that would have never needed to happen if the judges did their job.”
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August 11, 2024
The IOC said it would abide by the CAS’s decision, noting the following in a statement on Sunday, August 11: “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 Bărbosu (Romania). We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony.”
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The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee issued an additional statement on Sunday, saying, “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 appeal process that need to be addressed.”
They added, “Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves. We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.”
Furthermore, USA Gymnastics also claimed that Landi filed for the inquiry in 47 seconds, which is within the 1-minute deadline required by FIG rule *and* that it has submitted time-stamped video evidence.
August 12, 2024
In a shocking new development announced late on August 12, “USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented.”
That same day, Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu took to Instagram following the IOC’s ruling that restored her third-place status to express her feelings about the incident.
“Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you,” she penned on her Story (via Page Six). “I know what you are feeling, because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger. I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share same podium. This is my true dream!”
FYI, in addition to Jordan, the Olympian also referenced Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who finished in fourth place alongside the USA star thanks to this new ruling.
Also on August 12, 2024…
Fellow gymnast Aly Raisman came to Jordan’s defense during an appearance on Today. “This is just so heartbreaking, and I’m so gutted for Jordan,” she began before noting, “I can’t even imagine what this past week has been like for Jordan and the other athletes involved. This is completely devastating. I don’t think people realize these gymnasts work their entire lives for this moment, and it’s supposed to be a celebration.”
“I think it’s so unfair. It’s so cruel. And I don’t think that Jordan should have to give her medal back. The IOC has given more than one medal before, and I think that they should do that now,” the celeb added.
She also touched on the ramifications of Jordan’s original score being incorrect: “Look, the judges are human, we all make mistakes, but what’s so devastating is this is the biggest moment of their lives. These gymnasts have worked so hard. They play fair. They’ve done everything right, and the judges did make a mistake. They put the inquiry in. The judges accepted it, which means that they felt that it was under that minute.”
August 13, 2024
USA Gymnastics released another statement after the ruling. “As we continue to celebrate the successes of Team USA Gymnasts on social media, know that we are still working full-time to pursue justice for Jordan,” the org wrote.
Flava Flav also showed his support for Jordan and Team USA, writing, “Put me in coach,,, tell me who I need to call and tell em what time it is!!!”
August 15, 2024
Jordan entered the chat and penned a heartbreaking tribute about how the entire 2024 Olympics ordeal has affected her.
The post came just hours after the International Olympic Committee confirmed that Romania could go ahead and award gymnast Ana Bărbosu a bronze medal—a move that opened the door for what Romanian officials have said will be a medal ceremony on Friday, August 16 in Bucharest.
We’ll be updating this story with news as it breaks.
