American Gymnast Jordan Chiles Will Have to Return Her Bronze Medal

The International Olympic Committee said  Jordan Chiles, the  U.S. gymnast, has to give back her bronze medal in the floor exercise. 

The decision came after the IOC upheld findings that a coach’s protest, which led to Chiles earning a spot on the podium, should not have been allowed.

Sparked Anger Among Romanian Delegates 

Chiles, 23, initially finished fifth in the floor exercise competition on Monday. However, U.S. coach Cecile Landi successfully argued that Chiles’ difficulty score had been under-credited. Officials on site agreed, raising her score by 0.1 points to 13.766. This adjustment moved Chiles above two Romanian athletes, sparking an angry response from the Romanian delegation.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu refused to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympics in protest. The IOC  said it would abide by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which states that Landi’s protest was made 64 seconds after scores were posted. The deadline for such action is one minute.

Ana Barbosu Will be Declared Bronze Medalist 

“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 Bărbosu (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

The gymnastics Chiles still won a gold from the women’s team all-around and silver in Tokyo.

“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.” according to a statement issued by USA Gymnastics 

“No Athlete Should be Subject to Such Treatment”

The sport’s U.S. governing body said the athlete has been “subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media” since the matter came to light. 

“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,” they added.

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