The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that Jordan Chiles will not be reinstated with his bronze medal, despite the “unequivocal” evidence presented by USA Gymnastics.
On Sunday, just hours after the Olympic Closing Ceremony, the CAS decided to reallocate Chiles' bronze medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. Chiles initially scored 13.666 points in the Aug. 5 competition, placing her just behind Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea of Team Romania, who both finished with 13.700 points.
However, Team USA gymnastics coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi argued in an on-court appeal that Chiles' score was incorrect due to the difficulty of the routine. Her score was later adjusted by +0.1, placing her ahead of Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea.
CAS ultimately stripped Chiles of his bronze medal, ruling that Canqueteau-Landi’s appeal was not filed in a timely manner. On Monday, CAS upheld that decision, as reported New York Times.
“USA Gymnastics was informed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday that its rules do not allow for a reconsideration of a referee’s decision, even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeals process, including the Swiss Federal Court, to ensure fair scoring, placement and medal awarding for Jordan.”
Barbosu honored both Menca-Voinea and Chiles on his Instagram Story. “Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you,” he wrote. “I know how you feel because I’ve been through it too. But I know you’ll come back stronger. I hope from the bottom of my heart that the three of us share the same podium at the next Olympics. This is my dream come true!”
Despite the controversy surrounding her bronze medal, Chiles still left Paris with a big reward: she took the all-around team gold for USA Gymnastics.