Jordan Chiles has lost her bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics due to a controversy surrounding her score.
Romanian athletes Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Voinea were initially defeated by Chiles after Team USA appealed her difficulty score.
The judges revised Chiles’ D-score from a 5.8 to a 5.9, which elevated her to the bronze medal position.
Simone Biles, Chiles’ teammate, claimed the silver medal, while Brazil’s Rebecca Andrade secured the gold.
The revised scoring caused Barbosu to lose her medal, prompting the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee to challenge the decision.
Mihai Covaliu, the president of the Romanian Olympic Committee, formally protested to the International Gymnastics Federation.
The protest letter stated: “With respect to Olympic values, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee forwards this address, by which it respectfully requests you to order the re-analysis [of] the decision making factors of the case of the Romanian athlete Sabrina Maneca Voinea regarding the score given to the execution of the exercise in the floor final, contested on Monday, August 5, 2024.”
“We make this request based on the care that the International Olympic Committee and the entire world sports movement gives to the athlete.”
“The way of assessing the score awarded and the refusal to fully present the reasons/evidence for the rejection of the appeal submitted within the deadline provided by the regulation brings serious damage both to the image of international gymnastics but especially affects the athlete, endangering his mental health.”
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has since overturned the decision, upholding the Romanian Olympic Committee’s appeal.
It was found that Team USA’s inquiry into Chiles’ score was made four seconds beyond the one-minute window allowed for appeals.
As a consequence, the inquiry was invalidated, leading to Chiles losing her bronze medal and Barbosu regaining it.
In a joint statement on Twitter, USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee expressed: “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.”
“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.”