USA Gymnastics appeals Jordan Chiles ruling, says video proves inquiry was filed on time
The organisation appealed the decision providing evidence that “Coach’s request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the publishing of the score.”
USA Gymnastics has appealed the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that stripped Jordan Chiles of her bronze medal in floor exercise at the Paris Olympics 2024. On Sunday, the national governing body said it had obtained a video that proves her inquiry was submitted before the one-minute deadline.
US appeals CAS' ruling on Jordan Chiles
Following the Saturday ruling, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the bronze medal given to the 23-year-old American gymnast would be awarded to Ana Barbosu. The controversial decision came after the Romanian gymnast, who initially won the medal, filed a petition claiming Chiles was incorrectly awarded third place.
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However, the American organisation has now appealed the decision providing evidence that “Head Coach Cecile Landi’s request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the publishing of the score, within the 1-minute deadline required by FIG rule,” per CNN.
“The video footage provided was not available to USA Gymnastics prior to the tribunal’s decision and thus USAG did not have the opportunity to previously submit it,” USA Gymnastics added in the statement as part of a request to reinstate Chiles' score of 13.766.
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The gymnastics event on Monday had a dramatic ending. As the final athlete, Barbosu immediately began celebrating as the scoreboard reflected 13.700. However, she later exited the venue in tears as her Chiles' initial score of 13.666 was bumped up by 0.1. The Olympic judges have since been facing backlash for a series of controversial decisions.
As the 18-year-old newcomer lost her medal to Chiles, gymnastics veteran Nadia Comaneci slammed the judges for “playing with athlete's mental health and emotions.” Meanwhile, Chiles' sister Jazmin issued a heated statement accusing the judges of “racism” after the American gymnast was stripped of her bronze medal. Chiles herself declared on Instagram that would be stepping away from social media to protect her mental health.