USOPC Is Appealing Jordan Chiles Losing Her Olympic Bronze Medal: ‘There Were Critic…see more

USOPC Is Appealing Jordan Chiles Losing Her Olympic Bronze Medal: ‘There Were Critical Errors’
The committee said it will “continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly,” in a statement regarding the decision

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) says it is appealing the decision to strip Jordan Chiles of her bronze medal.

The USOPC is fighting the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Aug. 10 in favor of Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who argued that Chiles, 23, had incorrectly been awarded the bronze medal in the women’s floor final on Aug. 5.

“The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) will be appealing the recent decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding Jordan Chiles. 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 said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Aug. 11.

During the Aug. 5 final, Chiles was initially given a score of 13.666, which would have left her in fifth place, while Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea both finished with 13.700. After Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi argued that the judges hadn’t accurately assessed the difficulty level while scoring Chiles’ routine, specifically a rotation in the air, her score was changed to 13.766, and she was awarded bronze.

“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,” the CAS continued.

“As a result, we were not properly represented or afforded the opportunity to present our case comprehensively. Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to ensure that Jordan Chiles receives 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.”

After the ruling in favor of the Romanian gymnasts on Saturday, it was left to the IOC and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to determine if Chiles would be stripped of her medal, or if she’d share it with Barbosu. On Sunday, the IOC said Chiles has to return her medal.

The initial CAS petition came from the Romanian Olympic committee, who protested Chiles’ bronze and said that Landi submitted her score change inquiry four seconds too late for it to be accepted. CAS agreed with them in their ruling, and reverted Chiles’ score back to 13.666.

“The inquiry submitted on behalf of Ms Jordan Chiles in the Final of the women’s Floor exercise was raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline provided by article 8.5 of the 2024 FIG Technical Regulations and is determined to be without effect,” the ruling stated.

Chiles’ third place finish on Aug. 5 final had been her first individual medal. She also won gold in Paris in the team final with Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.

USA Gymnastics issued a statement following the CAS ruling, 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.”

Chiles posted a series of somber messages on social media just before the CAS ruling was made public, sharing that she plans to take time away from social media.