What happened to Jordan Chiles? USA gymnast, LeBron James and more react to IOC ruling on bronze medal

David Suggs

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What happened to Jordan Chiles? USA gymnast, LeBron James and more react to IOC ruling on bronze medal image

U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles' Olympic bronze medal in the floor exercise is in danger of being stripped following a judging controversy.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) voided an inquiry the gymnast's coach filed in the immediate aftermath of her routine on Aug. 5. The successful appeal saw Chiles' score rise above those of Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea — and thereby into the podium place.

On Aug. 10, CAS ruled that the initial appeal was invalid, as it came four seconds outside of the one-minute window permitted by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). CAS also recommended that Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea's third- and fourth-place finishes be restored.

The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee asked for two additional bronze medals to be issued to their competitors as a result of the judging issues. But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled on Aug. 11 that Chiles should return her medal, which would then be awarded to Barbosu.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is appealing the CAS ruling, and Chiles and others had plenty to say about the matter on social media.

Here's the latest on the gymnastics controversy taking center stage at the end of this year's Olympics.

What happened to Jordan Chiles?

Chiles appears to be in jeopardy of losing the bronze medal she obtained during the floor exercise finals of this year's Olympics. She was initially given the medal after judges approved her coach's 0.1-point appeal for one of the techniques that Chiles completed during her performance.

Chiles' showing was first scored as a 13.666, good for fifth place in the final standings. Landi's appeal brought it up to 13.766, higher than the matching 13.700 scores Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea were handed for their displays on the mat. Barbosu would've taken the bronze, in that scenario, as she claimed a tiebreaker over her teammate for a higher execution score.

CAS's announcement opens the door for Chiles to have her bronze medal stripped and returned to Barbosu, who initially thought she had won before news of the judge's ruling was made public.

Landi's appeal was determined to have taken place four seconds after the allotted time. USA Gymnastics disagreed, however, revealing that it had obtained and submitted evidence suggesting that Landi's appeal came in 47 seconds after Chiles' score was first read.

"USA Gymnastics on Sunday formally submitted a letter and video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport," USA Gymnastics' statement read, "conclusively establishing that Head Coach Cecile Landi's request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the publishing of the score, within the 1-minute deadline required by FIG rule."

In the wake of the CAS ruling, the IOC, which determines medal allocation for Olympic athletes, announced its decision to reallocate Chiles' bronze medal to Barbosu, but USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic committee are appealing.

Jordan Chiles, others react to CAS, FIG rulings

Chiles, hinting at the decision in an Instagram story post, revealed she was heartbroken over CAS and FIG's announcements and was "taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you."

Chiles' teammate, Suni Lee, was blunt in her reaction, posting to Instagram story the following:

"all this talk about the athlete, what about the judges?? completely unacceptable. this is awful and i'm gutted for Jordan. ... u have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an olympic champion."

USA Gymnastics was similarly peeved, claiming that Landi's appeal was filed in good faith.

Chiles has reportedly endured a torrent of racist remarks in the aftermath of the judge's initial decision, with many directing racist remarks at her. Her mother, Gina Chiles, disavowed such statements in a strongly worded statement posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.

"I’m tired of people who say it no longer exists," Gina Chile wrote. "My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched ... and she’s being called disgusting things."

Chiles' sister, Jazmin Chiles, offered similar analysis.

"Racism is real, it exists, it is alive and well," Jazmin Chiles said.

After the IOC ruling on Aug. 11, Team USA — and star basketball player LeBron James — were among those to show their support for Chiles.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.