Jordan Chiles expressed her disappointment in the decision to strip her of her bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics due to a timing error by her coach in requesting a score review. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in favor of the decision, leading to the medal being re-allocated to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu. USA Gymnastics is fighting the ruling, citing issues with the proceedings and providing time-stamped evidence that the inquiry was submitted within the deadline. Chiles thanked her supporters and vowed to continue fighting for justice in the situation.
American officials criticized the handling of the arbitration proceedings, claiming they were not properly notified and had insufficient time to respond or gather necessary evidence. The US Olympic Committee pointed out a conflict of interest with one of the CAS panelists involved in the case. Chiles is the first gymnast in history to be stripped of an Olympic medal for an administrative error.
The case has drawn comparisons to past Olympic controversies, such as Andreea Răducan losing her gold medal for a banned substance and the Chinese gymnastics team being stripped of a bronze medal for using an underage athlete. CAS and the IOC have previously re-allocated medals in situations of disputes and errors beyond the competitors’ control, as seen in the case of Fanny Smith and Daniela Maier receiving bronze medals in ski cross at the Beijing Winter Games.
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