A US Olympic champ actually isn’t the champ she was awarded as — and has to RETURN her medal… Says the International Olympic Committee!
If you caught the floor final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday, you’ll know US gymnast Jordan Chiles snagged third place winning bronze in a neck-and-neck ruling. After initially placing fifth with a score of 13.666, the 23-year-old’s coach Cecile Landi challenged the score by addressing the athlete’s injury, arguing her difficulty score should have been higher. The judges overall agreed and added 0.1 to her score, which took it up to 13.766 — providing her an edge over Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who both scored 13.700.
The moment made history as gold medalist Rebeca Andrade and silver medalist Simone Biles appeared alongside Jordan in the first all-Black Olympics gymnastics podium! But all that celebration has now been cut short…
A day after the event, the Romanian Olympic Committee contested the decision, and on Saturday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that notice of Jordan’s injury was submitted four seconds beyond the one-minute regulation. Oh s**t…
The ruling stated:
“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.”
That’s WILD.
Being so, the IOC announced on Sunday that Jordan’s bronze medal will be reallocated to Romanian gymnast Ana:
“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 (Romania). We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal.”
WOW! How devastating for Jordan… Amid all the rulings, the athlete took to Instagram Stories to share a series of broken heart emojis. She wrote:
“I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you.”
Simone Biles later shared her support by posting a picture of them together, writing alongside heart emojis:
“sending you so much love Jordan keep your chin up olympic champ! we love you!”
After the decision was made, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee revealed they will be appealing the decision:
“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. 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. 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 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.”
What a wild situation! What are your thoughts, Perezcious readers? Do you agree with the ruling? Let us know in the comments down below!
[Images via CBS Mornings/YouTube & MEGA/WENN]
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