Topline
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation said it never agreed that American gymnast Jordan Chiles should be stripped of her Olympic bronze medal on floor exercise, one day after the International Olympic Committee ruled she would have to return it.
Chiles was stripped of a bronze medal she had received after the women’s floor exercise final. … [+]
Key Facts
The FRG said it pushed for a solution where the bronze would be shared between Chiles, Romanian gymnast and bronze medal winner Ana Barbosu and Romanian fourth-place finisher Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, whom the federation alleged was unfairly penalized for stepping out of bounds.
The American federation had agreed to share the bronze medal, according to the Romanian federation.
The FRG called for social media attacks levied against the three gymnasts to stop, as all three have faced social media vitriol amid the controversy, including racist attacks levied against Chiles.
The statement also called for online attacks against Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, known for her “perfect 10” performances at the 1976 Olympics, to stop, as Comaneci had advocated for Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea on social media (though she also said she doesn’t feel Chiles’ medal should be stripped).
Key Background
Less than one week after being presented a bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise, Chiles was stripped of her medal by the IOC on Sunday. The IOC complied with a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that nullified an inquiry Chiles’ coach made that had raised her score into third place. Immediately after her floor performance, Chiles—the final competitor in the floor final—placed fifth with a score of 13.666. Her difficulty score, which is the total value of all the skills performed in a routine, was initially judged to be a 5.8, but Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi filed an inquiry alleging her difficulty was undervalued by the judges. The judges approved the inquiry and raised Chiles’ difficulty score to a 5.9, bringing her total score to 13.766 and ranking her above Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea. The Romanian federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which found Saturday that Landi’s inquiry was filed four seconds beyond the 1-minute deadline. The International Federation of Gymnastics announced it would revert Chiles’ score to 13.666, leaving her fifth.
Tangent
Chiles’ family has condemned online attacks Chiles has faced amid the controversy. “Racism is real, it exists, it is alive and well,” Jordan’s sister Jazmin Chiles posted to her Instagram story on Saturday. Prior to Chiles losing her medal, her mother Gina Chiles slammed “racist disgusting comments” against her daughter in a post on X. Jordan Chiles—whose Instagram comments have been flooded with a mix of support and criticism—said on Instagram Saturday she would take a break from social media for her mental health.
What To Watch For
USA Gymnastics said Sunday it had submitted video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport showing Landi made her inquiry 47 seconds after Chiles’ score was posted, prior to the 1-minute deadline. It requested a revision to the court’s ruling and asked that Chiles be reinstated with her score of 13.766 and the bronze medal.
Further Reading
Jordan Chiles Loses Bronze Medal: Here’s What To Know (Forbes)
Conor Murray is a reporter covering trends in entertainment and culture. He is based in Jersey City and joined Forbes in 2022. Murray has covered the messy rollout for Kanye West’s latest album, the Stanley water bottle craze and right-wing backlash against companies deemed “woke.” He previously covered billionaires with the Forbes wealth team and covered pop culture and TikTok trends for NBC News. He graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022. Follow Murray for continued coverage of social media trends, celebrity controversies and the movie and music industries.
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