The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Sunday, August 11, that based on the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the bronze medal won by American athlete Jordan Chiles in the women’s floor exercise at the Paris Olympics will be awarded to Romanian athlete Ana Bărbosu. The United States has stated that they will appeal this decision.
The CAS ruled on Saturday that the time allowance given to Chiles by the American gymnastics team coach for challenging her score was 1 minute and 4 seconds after the initial score announcement, which exceeded the 1-minute time limit set by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
The FIG stated on Saturday evening that they will respect the CAS decision, restore Chiles’ original score, and elevate Bărbosu’s ranking in the competition to third place. However, they also mentioned that the decision on whether to redistribute the medals will be made by the IOC.
The IOC confirmed this decision on Sunday and announced that they will respect the FIG’s ruling and seek to reclaim Chiles’ medal.
In a statement, the IOC mentioned that they will contact the United States Olympic Committee to discuss the medal retrieval issue and collaborate with the Romanian Olympic Committee to address the re-awarding process to Bărbosu.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) stated on Sunday that they will appeal this decision as they firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal and that there were significant errors in the initial FIG scoring and subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed.
They pointed out that they were not given enough time or notice to effectively challenge the two erroneous decisions made by the FIG and CAS and therefore did not have an opportunity to fully present their case.
“In light of these circumstances, we are committed to seeking an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves,” USOPC stated in the release and added that they will continue to work towards a swift and fair resolution of this issue.
The women’s floor exercise competition on August 5 ended in a dramatic fashion. Initially, Bărbosu was awarded the bronze medal with a score of 13.700 points.
However, Chiles’ coach successfully challenged this result, securing a 0.1 difficulty bonus for her, which raised her score from the initial 13.666 to 13.766, placing her ahead of Bărbosu and winning the bronze medal, following gold medalist Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade and silver medalist American superstar Simone Biles.
It remains unclear what the chances are for the United States to overturn this decision, as the CAS typically serves as the final arbiter of international sports disputes.
The USOPC has two avenues for appeal, one being the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, and the other being the European Court of Human Rights.