The Court of Arbitration for Sport has voided the inquiry that led to Olympic bronze on the floor exercise for American gymnast Jordan Chiles, with the International Gymnastics Federation confirming Romania’s Ana Barbosu will now replace Chiles as bronze medalist.
CAS ruled on Saturday that the appeal by US coach Cecile Landi to have 0.1 added to Chiles’ score that vaulted her from fifth to third came outside the one-minute window allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) by four seconds. The initial finishing order will now be restored, with Barbosu third, teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth.
Chiles responded to the decision with two posts on social media. She initially posted four heartbreak emojis on a black background to her Instagram stories. Her second post read: “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health. Thank you.”
USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee issued a joint statement in the wake of the CAS ruling. “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,” they said.
“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.”
Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea were initially left outside the medals in the floor final in Paris after finishing with matching scores of 13.700. Barbosu thought she had won bronze over Maneca-Voinea via a tiebreaker – a higher execution score – and began celebrating with a Romanian flag.
Chiles was the last athlete to compete and initially was given a score of 13.666 that put her in fifth place, right behind Maneca-Voinea. Landi called for an inquiry on her score, and after a review, judges boosted Chiles’ total by 0.1. That was enough to leapfrog Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for the last spot on the podium.
FIG spokesperson Meike Behrensen said in an email to The Associated Press that “Reallocation of medals is the responsibility of the IOC.” The Romanian Gymnastics Federation has asked for three bronze medals to be awarded. Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu reacted to the ruling by saying “justice has been served” and that “in the end, the truth prevailed.”
The ruling adds another layer to what has been a difficult few days for all three athletes. Romanian gymnastics legend and 1976 Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci feared for Barbosu’s mental health because of the wrenching sequence in which she went from bronze medalist to fourth-place finisher.
“I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this… let’s protect them,” Comaneci posted on X earlier in the week.
Comaneci, at the same time, criticized the judges for the way they scored Maneca-Voinea’s routine – the gymnast was docked 0.1 points for stepping out of bounds, but viral replays showed she narrowly stayed inbounds. Comaneci urged the Romanian Olympic Committee to protest, which it did, but CAS denied that appeal.
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Barbosu made it a point after returning home to Romania that she had no problem with Chiles.
“I only want for everybody to be fair, we don’t want to start picking on other athletes of any nationality,” Barbosu told reporters. “We as athletes don’t deserve something like that, we only want to perform as best as we can and to be rewarded based on our performance. The problems lie with the judges, with their calculations and decisions.”
The uncertainty has tinged what had been a beautiful moment on the medal podium, when Chiles and Biles knelt to honour Andrade after the Brazilian star won her fourth medal in Paris.
“It was just the right thing to do,” Biles said about a moment that soon went viral, with even the Louvre itself suggesting it might be worthy enough for a spot somewhere in the vicinity of the Mona Lisa.
That memory now carries a complicated and emotional postscript.