In her first direct response to the controversy over her bronze medal from the women’s gymnastics floor exercise final, US gymnast Jordan Chiles said she remains hopeful that “the people in control will do the right thing.”
Chiles earned the bronze medal in the floor exercise—her first individual Olympic medal—on the last day of gymnastics competition at the Paris Olympics, after a dramatic change in her score moved her from fifth place to third. The Romanian gymnastics federation, whose gymnast initially finished third, filed a complaint questioning whether proper protocol was used in changing the score, and an independent body, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the procedures were not followed and reverted Chiles’ and Barbosu’s scores back to their original marks. That gave Chiles the bronze. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which oversees the sport, then weighed in, reversing the CAS finding and requesting that Chiles return the medal so it could be awarded to Barbosu.
“I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away,” Chiles wrote on Instagram Thursday, after taking time off from social media as online interest in the controversy, and criticism targeting her, peaked. “I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey.”
CAS ruled against Chiles not on the basis of the score change, but because it said Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, had submitted the inquiry more than the one minute rules allow after Chiles finished her routine. USA Gymnastics had filed a request to CAS to reconsider its decision, providing additional video evidence showing that Landi filed the inquiry before the one minute deadline. But CAS responded with a statement stating that it does not re-arbitrate its decisions.
USA Gymnastics then said it would continue to appeal the decision, even if it requires taking it to Swiss Federal Tribunal, the next legal step in the process.
The case is further complicated by reports that the head of the three-member CAS panel that made the ruling has represented Romanian interests in legal cases in the past. In an Aug. 14 statement, the CAS responded to those reports, saying: “The CAS condemns the outrageous statements published in certain US media alleging…that the Panel, and more particularly its chairman, was biased due to other professional engagements or for reasons of nationality. As none of the parties involved in this case has challenged any Panel member during the procedure, it can reasonably be assumed that all parties were satisfied to have their case heard by this Panel. Any subsequent criticism is without foundation or merit.”
In her post, Chiles also addressed hurtful comments: “To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks are wrong and extremely hurtful.”
Chiles, who also helped the U.S. gymnastics squad earn gold in the women’s team event, also said, “I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship and the rules that dictate fairness. I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career. I will approach this challenge as I have others—and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”
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