Why Jordan Chiles May Keep Olympic Bronze Medal After All
We might be counting down the days until the Paris Paralympics 2024 in just over a fortnight, but it seems the Paris Olympics drama is far from over.
While viewers might have been treated to the Paris Olympics 2024 closing ceremony on TV on Sunday night, it seems the ongoing debacle regarding Team USA’s Jordan Chiles and Romania’s Ana Barbosu’s battle for the former’s bronze medal continues.
For those who need a recap, last week the International Olympics Committee said that the medal Chiles received for her individual floor exercise routine at the Games needed to be reallocated to Barbosu after USA Gymnastics announced they had submitted new evidence to challenge a court ruling that had led to the shocking decision.
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In response to an appeal from Barbosu and the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport invalidated an inquiry that Chiles' coach had made during the pair’s gymnastics event earlier this month, which resulted in Chiles having her score increased, resulting in her bronze podium position ahead of Barbosu.
The revision came just before Barbosu was getting read to celebrate making the podium and winning bronze, with many TV viewers noting her reaction change on learning that she had been pipped to the post.
However, the Romanian team argued that Team USA’s coach had requested the inquiry exactly four seconds past a one-minute time limit.
In a statement shared on Sunday, August 11, the Court announced: ‘USA Gymnastics formally submitted a letter and video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,' which shows Team USA Head Coach Cecile Landi's 'request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the publishing of the score, within the one-minute deadline required by FIG [International Gymnastics Federation] rule’.
USA Gymnastics requested in a letter on August 10 ‘that the CAS ruling be revised and Chiles' bronze-medal score of 13.766 be reinstated’, adding that their ‘time-stamped, video evidence’ showed that Landi submitted her request at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score was announced. They claim that a second statement was made 55 seconds after Chiles’ score was shared.
‘The video footage provided was not available to USA Gymnastics prior to the tribunal's decision,’ USA Gymnastics added, ‘and thus USAG did not have the opportunity to previously submit it’. As a result, Chiles might be able to keep her bronze medal after all.
In response to the drama, Barbosu wrote in English on her Instagram Stories on Sunday ahead of the cermeony: ‘Sabrina [her teammate, Maneca-Voinea], Jordan, my thoughts are with you.
'I know what you are feeling, because I've been through the same. But I know you'll come back stronger. I hope from deep [in] my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share [the] same podium. This is my true dream!
‘This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation. We athletes are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful. I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world.’
Neither Chiles nor Barbosu were seen at the closing ceremony.
Chiles previously won two gold medals in Team USA’s all-around finals in Paris, as well as golds at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Barbosu is a six-time European junior champion, and won all her junior events at the 2020 European Championships.
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