Jordan Chiles May Lose Bronze Medal After Romanian Gymnasts' Protest

The protest led the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reverse Chiles's score.

Aug 5, 2024; Paris, France; Jordan Chiles of the United States celebrates her bronze medal on the floor exercise on day three of the gymnastics event finals during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports / Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Chiles may lose the bronze medal she won in the women's gymnastics floor final after Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Voinea, along with the Romanian Federation of Gymnastics, filed a protest with the International Federation of Gymnastics regarding an inquiry made by Chiles's coach.

Chiles had initially registered a score of 13.666, short of Barbosu's 13.700 score, but Chiles's coach Cecile Landi had filed an inquiry challenging the judge's decision revolving around a tour jeté full, or split leap. Essentially, Landi believed the judges' ruling on Chiles's difficulty score, or D score, was too low. The challenge was successful and Chiles went from fifth place to third, leapfrogging the Romanian gymnasts, who, in the protest, argued that the inquiry was improperly filed.

"The Applicants sought a ruling from the CAS Ad hoc Division concluding that the Inquiry was filed beyond the 1-minute deadline specified in art. 8.5 of FIG 2024 Technical Regulations (i.e. 1 minute and 4 seconds) and dismissing the Inquiry as untimely, thereby upholding the initial score of 13.666 and adjusting the final ranking accordingly," the Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement.

An arbitral panel ruled that Chiles's inquiry was indeed filed after the one-minute deadline and that her initial score of 13.666 shall be reinstated. However, the court stopped short of a ruling on if Chiles will keep her medal, instead leaving that decision, and the final order of finish of the Floor routine, up to the International Federation of Gymnastics.

Chiles, who has been subject to harsh criticisms on social media, announced that she is "removing herself from social media," citing her mental health.

"We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women's floor exercise," USA Gymnastics said in a statement. "The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles's floor exercise was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring."

USAG went on to condemn the online attacks of Chiles.

Chiles, as well as Barbosu and Voinea, will now await a decision by the FIG.