US gymnast Jordan Chiles will be required to give back the bronze medal she won in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics after a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Chiles had finished the event in fifth with a score of 13.666. But after an on-floor appeal by her coach over her difficulty score, officials lifted her rating by 0.1 to 13.766, elevating her into third place ahead of Ana Bărbosu — after the Romanian athlete had already begun celebrating.
Bărbosu was visibly distraught after looking at the scoreboard and realizing what had happened.
But the CAS has now determined that Chiles’ coach’s appeal was filed four seconds outside of the one-minute window allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), and her initial score of 13.666 was reinstated — putting Bărbosu back in third place.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the ruling on Sunday.
“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,” the IOC said in a statement.
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won gold in the event, with Team USA star Simone Biles taking silver.
USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) released a joint statement about the decision, 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,” the statement continued.
The USOPC has said it will appeal the CAS ruling.
The USA Gymnastics and USOPC statement also said that Chiles had faced “extremely hurtful attacks on social media” since the incident occurred.
“No athlete should be subject to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support, or instigate them,” it added.
In an Instagram Story on Saturday, Chiles said that she was stepping away from social media for her mental health.
According to the International Olympic Committee, “the reallocation of Olympic medals is not automatic, and is decided by the IOC on a case-by-case basis.”
“If the IOC decides to reallocate Olympic medals, this takes place only after all remedies have been exhausted by the sanctioned athletes or teams, and once all procedures have been closed,” it adds.
On Friday, 10 Olympians from the 2000, 2008, and 2012 games received reallocated medals at a ceremony in Paris.
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