Jordan Chiles is seeking to reclaim her bronze medal in the women’s gymnastics floor routine final at the Paris Olympics after being bumped from third place to fifth due to a late appeal by U.S. coaches. Her legal team has filed an appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, arguing that footage from a new Netflix docuseries focused on Simone Biles supports their case by showing that the appeal was submitted within the 60-second window granted for appeals. Chiles’ lawyers have accused the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) of violating her right to be heard and have alleged a conflict of interest involving CAS president Hamid G. Gharavi’s ties to Romania.
Chiles has spoken out about the incident, stating that it is not about the medal, but about issues related to her skin color. She has faced racially driven attacks on social media and believes that she has been unfairly targeted due to her race. Biles, who stood on the first all-black podium at the floor exercise final with Chiles and Brazilian Rebecca Andrade, has been a vocal supporter of her teammate throughout the controversy. The judges who scored the event have come under international scrutiny, with the Center of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) condemning the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the judging crew for the outcome.
The controversy surrounding the women’s gymnastics floor routine final at the Paris Olympics has caused emotional contention between Americans and Romanians. The initial ruling that bumped Chiles from third to fifth place sparked backlash, with gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci and Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu expressing disapproval of the decision. The CAS later ruled that the judging panel at the event had improperly granted an inquiry that increased Chiles’ score, leading to her medal being stripped and returned to Romanian gymnast Ana Babosu. Chiles became only the third gymnast in history to have an Olympic medal stripped, following incidents involving athletes from China and Romania at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Despite the controversy, Barbosu expressed sympathy for both Chiles and another gymnast affected by the ruling, Sabrina. She stated that the situation was difficult for all involved and emphasized the importance of the Olympic spirit over misunderstandings between authorities. Barbosu received her official bronze medal on August 16 and expressed hope that all three athletes involved in the medal dispute would eventually receive recognition for their achievements. The case has highlighted issues of fairness, racial bias, and conflict of interest within the world of gymnastics judging, leading to calls for reform to prevent such controversies from occurring in the future.
