What’s Happening To Jordan Chiles Is Unfair. Period.

The 2024 Paris Olympics are officially over. The controversy surrounding them is not. In a shocking turn of events, American gymnast and two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles has been ordered to  return her bronze medal from the women's Floor Exercise competition. On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) upheld a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)  that stripped Chiles of her third-place win due to a technicality. I’ll get into the details, but let’s be clear; Jordan Chiles isn’t getting penalized because she performed poorly. Her medal is being stripped from her because of a judging error and a fight over four seconds. No matter how this mess ends, the backlash, scrutiny and racist abuse Chiles has been facing in the days since the games — when she should have been celebrating her victory — is heartbreaking and unfair. 

"Following the CAS decision with regard to the Women's Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final and the amendment of the ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation, the IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Bărbosu (Romania)," the IOC said in a statement. "We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal."

The US Gymnastics authorities appealed the decision and submitted video evidence that would have reinstated Chiles as the bronze medalist if approved. In an update on Monday, USA Gymnastics released a statement saying they were notified by CAS that, even with new evidence presented, the ruling will not be reconsidered, nor will Chiles' bronze medal win be reinstated.

"We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan," the USA Gymnastics posted on Instagram. 

At the gymnastics event, Chiles initially ranked fifth with a score of 13.666. Her competitors, Romanian gymnast Ana Bǎrbosu and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea placed third and fourth on the leaderboard with a tied score of 13.700. After Chiles finished her floor routine, her coach, Cecile Landi, filed an inquiry with the judges about the gymnast's difficulty score. Landi contested that the gymnast wasn't credited for the split leap ( also called a "tour jete full") in her performance, leading to Chiles scoring lower. After deliberating, the judges agreed and adjusted Chiles' result. Her score was bumped to 13.766, ultimately securing her third-place spot and knocking her competition out of the top ranking. 

When Chiles realized she had medaled in the final event, she was caught on camera jumping up and down in pure joy and happiness. Her triumphant win became historic as it solidified the first all-Black gymnastics podium shared between her, Simone Biles (silver), and Brazil's Rebeca Andrade (gold). The heartwarming display of sportsmanship and sisterhood was captured in an iconic picture that instantly became a viral sensation on social media. However, the celebration didn't last long. 

Stripping an athlete of their Olympic medal typically happens for two reasons: cheating or failing a drug test. Neither applies to Chiles, which makes her situation unprecedented and completely unfair. It's worth noting that the issue has nothing to do with the athlete’s performance. Instead, the controversy has everything to do with the judges' error. The judges deliberated after Chiles' coach inquired about her difficulty level not being appropriately scored. They recognized their mistake and adjusted Chiles' results accordingly. Chiles' 13.766 score is her correct score. So, it's unfair for the American gymnast to be stripped of the bronze medal she rightfully earned – especially since the criteria is based on execution and difficulty, which are two things Chiles does not lack. 

On August 10, CAS ordered that Chiles' original 13.666 score be reinstated (knocking her back to fifth place) after ruling that her coach's inquiry was submitted after the one-minute deadline. According to the press release, the inquiry was submitted four seconds over the time limit. On Saturday night, The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique abided by the CAS decision, which raised Bǎrbosu back to third place. After confirming the ruling, the IOC announced on Sunday that the bronze medal will be reallocated.

The USA Gymnastics also released a statement on Sunday saying they submitted time-stamped video evidence that proved Landi's inquiry was placed before the one-minute deadline and requested that Chiles' bronze-medal score be reinstated. ESPN also reported that the Romanian Gymnastics Federation asked for three bronze medals to be awarded. As of right, the ruling still stands that Chiles must return her medal.

The controversy has made Chiles a target for racist attacks on social media. Many claimed that Chiles’ medal was awarded solely to fabricate a historic moment with the all-Black podium. Those people must not know the history of racism within the very same organizations that awarded (and then stripped) Chiles of her bronze medal. Like in many other sports, racism and the mistreatment of Black athletes has existed throughout the history of gymnastics. Although there are more Black and brown gymnasts now, the sport is historically predominately white. Decorated gymnasts like Biles and Gabby Douglas have been open about the racism they've experienced early in their careers. Biles recalled an incident in 2013 after defeating Italian gymnasts Vanessa Ferrari and Carlotta Ferlito at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. In a post-game interview, Ferlito commented that Biles and Douglas were only the podium finishers because they were Black. The reality is that every Black gymnast who succeeds does so against insurmountable odds in spite of their Blackness, not because of it. And I can’t imagine that the unprecedented vitriol, hate, and unfairness that Chiles is facing now would be happening to a white gymnast. 

Like her peers, Chiles had past racist encounters that led her to almost quit gymnastics. Since the CAS ruling and controversy over her medal, the 23-year-old announced on her Instagram story that she was taking a break from social media to focus on her mental health. The athlete's sister, Jazmin Chiles, shared her reaction online with a series of posts on her Instagram stories. "Racism is real, it exists, it is alive and well," one of the posts read. "They have officially, 5 days later, stripped her of one of her medals. Not because she didn't win, not because she was drugged, not because she stepped out of bounds, not because she wasn't good enough."

Jazmin continued to express her frustrations about the panel of judges. "But because the judges failed to give her difficulty and forced an inquiry to be made," she said. "Her bronze was stripped over 4 seconds of time that would have never needed to happen if the judges did their job. I love you baby sis. And I got your back no matter what." Chiles’ mom Gina also shared her feelings. 

“The racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024. I’m tired of people who say it no longer exists,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter). “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' teammates Sunisa Lee and Biles also reacted to the news by sharing supportive messages on social media. "Sending you so much love Jordan," Biles said in an Instagram post.  "Keep your chin up Olympic champ! We love you!"

Chiles earned that bronze medal fair and square. And she shouldn't be penalized for a mistake made by the judges. Chiles being stripped as a bronze medalist has nothing to do with her skills or talents. Yet, she's paying the price for something that could have been avoided if the judges didn't undercredit her routine. Chiles won — regardless of the ruling. She made history as one of the three finishers on the all-Black podium. No matter how hard they try, no one can take that away from her.