The International Olympic Committee said Sunday that American gymnast Jordan Chiles must return the bronze medal she won in the women's floor exercise after the result was changed on appeal.
Chiles learned on Saturday that her bronze medal was in jeopardy after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that her total score should be reverted to 13.666, which would put Chiles in fifth place and give third place to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu, who scored 13.700 and whose country has appealed to CAS.
“Following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding the women’s artistic gymnastics final and the classification adjustment by the International Gymnastics Federation, the IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu (Romania),” the IOC said in a statement on Sunday (via NBC News). “We are in contact with the Romanian National Olympic Committee to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with the USOC regarding the return of the bronze medal.”
During the event on August 6, Chiles initially earned a score of 13.666, which would have placed her fifth in the competition, behind gold medalist Rebecca Andrade, silver medalist and teammate Simone Biles, and a duo of Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Voinia.
However, after scoring, Chiles' coaches appealed to the judges, arguing that the routine's difficulty level—and therefore the score—was incorrect; the judges agreed, and when the score was adjusted by 0.1, Chiles' new score of 13.766 was enough to overtake Barboso and Voinya's 13.700, giving her the bronze medal at the last minute, resulting in the first all-black medal podium in Olympic gymnastics.
However, after Romania appealed after the event, the Court of Arbitration for Sport found that the USA team's appeal came after one minute and Four seconds — Coaches have the right to appeal a result after one minute of judging — so the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned Team USA’s appeal and restored Chiles’ score to 13.666 and fifth place. On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee accepted the CAS ruling and ordered Chiles’ medal returned.
“We firmly believe that Jordan was awarded the bronze medal on merit, and that there were serious errors in both the initial FIG scoring and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed,” USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement Sunday, adding that they would appeal the IOC’s decision.
“Under these circumstances, we are committed to continuing our petition to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves. We remain committed to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter quickly and fairly.”
While the referee stripped Chiles of her bronze medal, Flavor Flav — who became the official man for the women's Olympic water polo team this summer — offered some solace. On Sunday, the Public Enemy member took to social media to present her with a different award. “Oh hey @ChilesJordan I'm gonna make you a bronze watch necklace, that's something no one else has!!! Call me girl I got it!!!” the rapper wrote.
Following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling on Saturday, Chiles – who is already in America, after appearing in the studio on today She wrote on Instagram that she would be avoiding social media for the foreseeable future. “I will be taking this time off social media for the sake of my mental health, thank you,” she wrote in a message accompanied by a broken heart emoji.
This article has been updated to include the Flavor Flav offer.
