Jordan Chiles spoke out for the first time since the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled she must forfeit her Olympic bronze medal.
On Monday, the 23-year-old shared a statement on Instagram, expressing gratitude for the support she has received since learning of the “devastating” news and the racial attacks on social media.
“While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away,” Chiles wrote. “I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.”
She continued, “I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey. To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”
As Blavity reported, Chiles scored 13.666 in the women’s floor exercise final at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 5, placing fifth behind Romania’s Ana Maria Bărbosu, who scored 13.700. Team USA gymnastics coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi appealed, arguing the judges had incorrectly computed Chiles’ score due to the difficulty of her routine. The panel reviewed her score and changed it to 13.766, bumping her to third place and awarding her the bronze medal over Bărbosu.
Romanian Olympic officials filed a motion to challenge the controversial score to restore Chiles’ initial ranking. The Switzerland-based higher court ruled that the USA filed the appeal outside the one-minute time limit to contest the judges’ scores. After Team USA submitted multiple appeals and video footage to support its claims, the CAS issued its final decision on Monday, stripping Chiles of her medal.
“I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship and the rules that dictate fairness,” Chiles shared in her statement. “I have taken pride in cheering on everyone regardless of team or country. Finding joy again has been a culture shift and I love seeing others embrace it. I feel like I have given everyone permission to be authentic to who they are.”
“I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career,” she continued. “Believe me when I say I have had many. I will approach this challenge as I have others — and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing,” Chiles concluded.
On Wednesday, the CAS shared a statement on its website criticizing U.S. media outlets for calling out the court in its handling of the case.
“The CAS condemns the outrageous statements published in certain US media alleging, without knowledge of the above and before review of the reasoned award, that the Panel, and more particularly its chairman, was biased due to other professional engagements or for reasons of nationality. As none of the parties involved in this case has challenged any Panel member during the procedure, it can reasonably be assumed that all parties were satisfied to have their case heard by this Panel. Any subsequent criticism is without foundation or merit,” the statement reads.
