Whereas the Paris 2024 Olympic Games might have simply ended, drama from the gymnastics flooring finals continues. In case you missed it, Jordan Chiles gained a person bronze medal for her flooring routine on August 5 after an inquiry was made on her behalf that boosted her rating.
Now, Chiles dangers having her solely particular person medal from this Olympics stripped from her (her different medal from the Paris Video games is a gold from the staff all-around competitors), which might be the primary time this has occurred to an Olympic athlete who did not violate any guidelines.
Here is precisely what has occurred up to now, plus reactions from the gymnastics neighborhood.
A timeline of occasions
August 5
- Chiles competed within the creative gymnastics flooring finals. She initially acquired a rating of 13.666 for her routine, which put her in fourth place behind Romania’s Ana Bărbosu, based on USA Today.
- Chiles’s coach, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, submitted an inquiry relating to her rating as a result of she thought the judges did not credit score Chiles for a talent.
- The judges accredited Canqueteau-Landi’s inquiry and elevated Chiles’ issue rating by 0.1, which put her whole rating at 13.766. This new rating moved Chiles as much as third place, forward of Bărbosu (now in fourth place). Chiles acquired a bronze on the medal ceremony after the ground finals.
August 10
- The Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued a ruling that beneficial Chiles’ unique flooring routine rating be reinstated.
- This got here after the Romanian Gymnastics Federation requested the Worldwide Gymnastics Federation (FIG) for Canqueteau-Landi’s inquiry to be re-evaluated—the Romanian Gymnastics Federation argued Staff USA’s inquiry was submitted previous the 1-minute deadline, voiding the inquiry altogether.
August 11
- Following the CAS ruling, the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) mentioned the group “will reallocate” the bronze medal from Chiles to Bărbosu.
- The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) mentioned in a press release that USA Gymnastics (USAG) has timestamped video footage that Canqueteau-Landi first said her request to file an inquiry 47 seconds after Chiles’ rating was posted and adopted up once more 55 seconds after the rating was initially posted. “The video footage supplied was not obtainable to USA Gymnastics previous to the tribunal’s resolution and thus USAG didn’t have the chance to beforehand submit it,” the assertion mentioned.
- The USOPC has submitted this video to enchantment the preliminary ruling from the CAS.
August 12
- USAG was notified by the CAS that their guidelines “do not enable for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new proof is introduced,” based on a statement USAG posted to their Instagram.
Reactions from Chiles and her coaches, teammates, and household
In keeping with Yahoo! Sports, after the announcement of the choice, Chiles posted a now-deleted Instagram story that mentioned: “I’m taking this time and eradicating myself from social media for my psychological well being thanks.”
Within the feedback of her August 6 Instagram post, Canqueteau-Landi wrote: “I shouldn’t have to clarify however I’ll ONCE. Jordan’s highest attainable SV on flooring is a 5.9- At quals and staff finals she acquired a 5.8 and we didn’t query it as a result of we noticed that not all parts had been accomplished. Throughout flooring finals, we thought [it] was higher and being positioned fifth with nothing to lose, I despatched the inquiry so I wouldn’t remorse not asking. I didn’t assume it could be accepted and at my shock it was.”
She went on to say: “Do I really feel dangerous for the Romanian athlete? After all I do! It was so unhappy and heartbreaking to see however it’s the sport! You don’t have to love it however you do need to respect the result and extra importantly respect Jordan and never drag her down since you disagree. She EARNED that bronze medal, her 1st particular person Olympic medal and I couldn’t be extra proud and excited!”
Associated Tales
Chiles’ sister, Jazmin, posted a now-deleted Instagram story that mentioned: “Racism is actual, it exists, it’s alive and properly. They’ve formally, 5 days later, stripped her of one in every of her medals. Not as a result of she did not win, not as a result of she was drugged, not as a result of she stepped out of bounds. Not as a result of she wasn’t adequate. However as a result of the judges failed to offer her issue and compelled an inquiry to be made.”
Chiles’ teammates, Suni Lee, Jade, Carey, and Simone Biles, all posted Instagram tales in help of Chiles as properly. And, two-time Olympic gymnast Alexandra Raisman posted on X (previously Twitter): “Don’t have the phrases proper now. However that is so unacceptable & heartbreaking. No athlete ought to ever undergo this. That is unfair & merciless. Athlete equity & athlete psychological well being issues. Athletes mustn’t undergo from errors which are out of their management. & the bullying should cease!”
Has something like this ever occurred earlier than?
Briefly: no. Whereas there have been situations the place Olympians have needed to give again their medals, it has been as a result of unlawful actions like doping or purposely falsifying info, NBC News stories. Just a few examples embrace:
- Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt needed to return his 4×100-meter relay gold medal after teammate Nesta Carter’s doping violation led to the staff’s disqualification 9 years after the 2008 race.
- The 2000 Chinese language gymnastics staff needed to return their bronze medal within the staff competitors 10 years after the actual fact as a result of staff member Dong Fangxiao falsified her age with a view to meet Olympic necessities (she was discovered to have been 14 years previous when the age requirement is 16 years previous).
However there hasn’t been an event the place an athlete has had to surrender their medal when the state of affairs was no fault of their very own.
What occurs subsequent?
USAG will proceed to “pursue each attainable avenue and enchantment course of” to make sure the right scoring and award for Chiles, based on their August 12 assertion. Everybody appears anticipating this to be absolutely resolved after a full week of ups and downs.
