Remember take backs? Ya’ll ever played that in any setting? Well that’s what the Olympics are considering with Jordan Chiles. The super star American gymnast may be at risk of losing the bronze medal she won at the 2024 Paris Olympics due to a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Huh?
Okay so check this out, the court found that the appeal which led to an increase in Chiles’ score during the women’s floor exercise final was improperly granted, as it was submitted past the one-minute deadline allowed for such requests.
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Initially, Chiles had finished in fifth place with a score of 13.666, just missing out on a medal. However, her coaches, Cecile and Laurent Landi, submitted an inquiry challenging a deduction related to a specific move, the tour jeté full, in her routine. The judges reviewed the appeal and raised her score by one-tenth of a point, moving her into third place and securing the bronze medal. As she should have.
But get this, wild turn of events. The CAS determined that the appeal was submitted too late, meaning the score adjustment should not have occurred. The court ruled that Chiles’ original score of 13.666 should stand, which would place her fifth and out of medal contention. However, CAS stopped short of directly stripping her of the bronze medal, leaving that decision to the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), the international body overseeing gymnastics. CAS stated, “The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) shall determine the ranking of the Final of the women’s Floor exercise and assign the medal(s) in accordance with the above decision.”
In response, FIG has yet to comment publicly, stating only that “a statement will be published on the FIG website in due course.” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also declined to comment.
As expected, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee expressed their disappointment with the ruling, insisting that the inquiry was “filed in good faith and… in accordance with FIG rules.” They also condemned the online abuse that Chiles has faced, stating, “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 commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her.”
In fairness, Chiles herself revealed that she was unaware her coaches had filed an appeal on her behalf until after the event. In the wake of the controversy and social media backlash, where she has been accused of “stealing” the bronze from Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu, Chiles shared on Instagram that she would be taking a break from social media for her mental health, posting broken heart emojis and stating, “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you.”
This shaky development because that’s what it is, shaky and wafer thin, comes just days after the dramatic conclusion of the Olympic gymnastics competition, where Chiles’ last-minute score adjustment changed the final standings. Her coach, Laurent Landi, acknowledged the risks involved in submitting the appeal, saying, “I was not confident, but what do you have to lose? She was out of the podium already, so even if they dropped the score, it couldn’t have been worse, you know? We tried.”
Let’s see how it ends up but they need to let Jordan Chiles keep her drip. Period.