Jordan Chiles Uncertain About 2028 Olympics Participation Following Bronze Medal Scandal

Jordan Chiles isn’t sure if she’ll be tumbling into the 2028 Olympics yet.

Approximately half a year following the removal of her bronze medal (which was subsequently awarded to Ana Barbosu from Romania at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris), she disclosed her plans for competing on the gymnastics mats during the Games in Los Angeles.

As I shared with TopMob News during the TIME Women of the Year Gala on February 25th, it’s neither a firm ‘no’ nor a definite ‘yes.’ Instead, my approach is to focus on moving forward one year, then one month at a time. Time will tell where this path leads me.

Despite not securing the bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise final in Paris, the athlete still brought home gold with her team. She is determined to challenge the decision and will continue fighting, as she submitted an official appeal to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in September.

As for any updates on the case?

She shared, “I don’t have many details to share regarding the bronze medal. However, my legal team is working diligently to sort things out. Regardless, I’ll continue to strive and be the best version of myself because that’s simply my nature.

In the meantime, the gold medalist – recognized as one of TIME’s 2025 Women of the Year – asserted that she is significantly improved, even surpassing her post-snub state.

Indeed, I find myself deeply appreciating every facet of my existence, particularly my journey at the University of California, Los Angeles, which I hold dear.

Jordan expressed her delight, saying, “I savor those special instances,” and added, “I’ve been having a blast with everything. NCAA gymnastics has been an absolute joy for me.” (For more coverage on celebrities attending TIME’s Women of the Year Gala, catch up with TopMob News tonight, Feb. 26 at 11 p.m.)

In August, the young performer’s act, inspired by Beyoncé, originally ranked fourth. However, Team USA later contested the scoring of her routine, arguing that it may not have been given its due credit.

Initially scoring 13.666, she was subsequently raised to 13.766 because a reexamination of the video revealed that she hadn’t been given points for one of her concluding maneuvers. Later, the International Olympic Committee contested that the objection was raised four seconds past the deadline.

For Jordan, the IOC’s surprising decision was “really hard to just comprehend.”

She shared with Hoda Kotb during a heartfelt conversation on Today in November, “For the past four to five months, I’ve been trying to convince myself that I’m alright, but the truth is, it’s been incredibly tough.” She added, “It’s challenging to believe everything will be okay when deep down we both know we didn’t do anything wrong.

She went on to say, “Everything was perfectly timed,” she emphasized. “Despite their claim of being four seconds late, we have solid evidence showing that everything was indeed in order. Our proof clearly demonstrates that everything was correct.

Jordan emphasized, “I have the medal. The medal is mine.”

Read on for a full breakdown of the controversy surrounding the bronze medal.

— Reporting by Sharon Carpenter

A week following Team USA’s gold victory in the women’s artistic gymnastics team final at the 2024 Olympics, Jordan Chiles embarked on her quest to secure her initial individual Olympic medal during the women’s floor exercise final.

As the closing competitor in the event, she was aware that she needed to surpass the scores of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (14.166), USA’s Simone Biles (14.133) and Romania’s Ana Barbosu (13.700) to stand on the podium. Following her performance inspired by Beyoncé, Chiles was awarded a score of 13.666, positioning her in fifth place.

Subsequently, her coaches contested her performance score by submitting a query on her behalf. As defined by NBC Olympics, this contestation is a verbal dispute of the routine’s score followed by a written one before the end of the rotation. The challenge can only be made after the gymnast’s final score is posted and before the next competitor performs. In this case, if the gymnast was the last to compete, there would be a one-minute time limit starting from when her score appeared on the scoreboard, according to the International Gymnastic Federation (FIG).

The scoring inquiry pertained to a split leap in Chiles’ routine known as the tour jeté full. According to Olympic gymnastics analyst John Roethlisberger during the broadcast, “In the team qualification, in the team final, she did not receive credit for this skill. In the initial evaluation of the skill, the judges did not acknowledge her performance. I spoke with Cecile and Laurent Landi, her coaches, who stated that they believed she performed it significantly better during the final. Since they felt they had nothing to lose, they chose to file an inquiry.”

After reevaluating Chiles’ routine, the judges accepted the inquiry and granted her 0.1 point for the leap, raising her score to 13.766 for third place.

Consequently, Chile, filled with joy and shed tears of happiness upon seeing the outcome, was awarded the bronze medal. On the other hand, Barbosu, who had earlier been enthusiastically waving the Romanian flag after her impressive performance, unfortunately missed out on a spot on the podium.

Later on, Barbosu – tears streaming down her face after departing Bercy Arena – expressed her feelings about the news through various social media platforms. On Instagram specifically, she penned a heartfelt message that read: “Thank you all for your words of encouragement!” She then declared her intention to step away from social media for a while.

Let me tell you, the moment I learned I’d won that bronze medal was indescribable! A whirlwind of emotions flooded my mind. Pride, pure and simple, was what overwhelmed me. Ana Barbosu is a phenomenal athlete, and she has achieved so much in gymnastics. So, I’m immensely proud of myself, but also deeply admiring of her accomplishments.

In response to accusations of cheating, coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi defended herself on Instagram. She explained that Jordan Chiles’ highest possible start value (SV) on floor was a 5.9, but she received a 5.8 at qualifications and team finals without question because not all elements were completed. During the floor finals, Canqueteau-Landi believed Chiles performed better and had nothing to lose, so she inquired about the possibility of adjusting the score. To her surprise, the inquiry was accepted and Jordan won the bronze medal. Canqueteau-Landi emphasized that she did not take anything from anyone and simply did her job as a coach, fighting for her athlete. She expressed sympathy for the Romanian athlete but stressed the importance of respecting the outcome and Jordan’s achievement, as she earned the bronze medal fairly.

Nevertheless, not all individuals joined in her enthusiasm as the Romanian Gymnastics Federation filed protests on behalf of Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who finished fourth. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation argued that the investigation for Chiles was conducted beyond the one-minute deadline and challenged a 0.1 deduction in execution that Maneca-Voinea received. Additionally, Romania’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, expressed on August 6th his intention to skip the Olympics Closing Ceremony due to his belief that the two athletes were unfairly treated.

A few days past, Gina, Chiles’ mother, voiced out the “offensive racist remarks” she encountered online. She expressed her frustration on X, stating, “I am fed up with those who claim it no longer exists. My daughter is a highly accoladed Olympian with an extraordinary heart and exceptional sportsmanship…yet she’s being labeled in a degrading manner.

As an ardent fan, I can’t hide my excitement about the recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport! They upheld Barbosu’s appeal and stated that the inquiry submitted on Chiles’ behalf was filed after the one-minute deadline had passed. Consequently, Chiles’ initial score of 13.666 has been reinstated. The court also dismissed Maneca-Voinea’s application concerning her execution penalty.

In response to this decision, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) updated the results to reflect Chiles’ original score. However, USA Gymnastics expressed their disappointment with the court’s verdict. They released a statement saying: “We are disheartened by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling on the women’s floor exercise. The inquiry into Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was submitted in good faith, following what we believed to be FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring.”

They continued by addressing the unfair treatment Chiles has received on social media: “Throughout this appeal process, Jordan has been subjected to unjustified, hurtful attacks on social media. No athlete should have to endure such behavior. We strongly condemn these attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them. We applaud Jordan for maintaining her integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we remain committed to supporting her.

In a show of solidarity, USA gymnasts Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera have voiced their support for Simone Biles after her teammate, Mykayla Skinner, was penalized in the vault final at the Olympics. On Instagram Stories, Jade Carey wrote, “Don’t blame the athlete for someone else’s mistake. You are forever an Olympic champion that has so much to be proud of.” Meanwhile, Romanian Prime Minister Ciolacu expressed his satisfaction on Facebook as Barbora Mokrosova was moved back to third place in the vault final, stating, “Justice has been served.”

Based on the verdict by the Court of Arbitration for Sport concerning the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final and the subsequent adjustment of the ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation, the International Olympic Committee has decided to award the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu (Romania). They are currently communicating with Romania’s National Olympic Committee about organizing a reallocation ceremony and with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee regarding the return of the bronze medal.

Following the recent events, I found myself reflecting on our shared experience.

‘Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you,’ I penned on Instagram Stories August 11th. ‘I understand your feelings as I’ve walked a similar path. But I believe in your resilience, and I hope from the depths of my heart that at the next Olympics, we three will stand together on the same podium. This is my deepest aspiration.’

‘The circumstances leading to this situation could have been avoided if the authorities had adhered to the regulations,’ I added. ‘It’s us athletes who bear the brunt of this, and the hurtful rhetoric directed towards us is unbearable. I wish for this edition of the Paris 2024 Olympics to embody the true spirit of Olympism – the universal values that bind our world together.’

USA Gymnastics maintains that they submitted a letter and video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within the specified timeframe, and they have proof to back this up. Specifically, they claim their head coach, Cecile Landi, requested an inquiry 47 seconds after the score was published, well within the required one-minute deadline. The organization has asked the CAS ruling to be revised so that Chiles’ bronze medal score of 13.766 can be reinstated. They say the video evidence they submitted later shows Landi making her request for an inquiry just 47 seconds after the score was published, followed by another statement 55 seconds afterward. The gymnastics organization notes that this video evidence wasn’t available to them before the tribunal’s decision, so they couldn’t present it earlier.

One day following the submission of the letter and video, USA Gymnastics announced that they had been informed by CAS that their rules do not permit a reconsideration of an arbitral award, even when compelling new evidence is presented. In a statement, USAG expressed their deep disappointment and vowed to exhaust every possible appeal method, including appealing to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to secure fair scoring, placement, and medal allocation for Jordan.

Barbosu was awarded the bronze medal in a ceremony held at her home country of Romania.

She shared with reporters following the award ceremony, “I find myself reflecting on Sabrina and Jordan currently. This situation is tough for us, filled with doubts and intense feelings. I wish people can appreciate that we haven’t committed any wrongdoings during the Olympics.

Lawyers representing Chiles submitted an application for reconsideration to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, aiming to reverse a previous decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which resulted in her losing the bronze medal.

In a statement issued by Gibson Dunn, the law firm supporting the gymnast, it was emphasized that this appeal transcends the bronze medal. Chiles is advocating for her case with the aim of inspiring the entire Olympic community to take necessary actions to prevent future athletes from experiencing a similar ordeal.

2025-02-26 19:47

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