Olympic Gymnast Jordan Chiles’ Appeal Denied By Court of Arbitration, Will Lose Bronze Medal

Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her Olympic bronze medal — and won’t be getting it back.

via People:

USA Gymnastics announced in a statement on social media Monday, Aug. 12, that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has denied the Olympian’s appeal to reinstate the bronze medal she received after the women’s individual floor exercise final on Monday, Aug. 5.

“USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” the statement read. “We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan.”

Chiles, 23, was in fifth place when the competition initially ended on Aug. 5, behind Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.

The American gymnast scored a 13.666 on her routine initially, putting her behind the Romanians, who were tied with a 13.700.

Chiles’ coaches appealed the score because her difficulty should have been higher to include adequate credit for a leap that involved performing a split in the air while turning 540 degrees.

Judges agreed with Coach Cecile Landi’s appeal and awarded Chiles credit for the skill which changed her score to 13.766 and put her in the bronze medal position.

Chiles stood on the first all-Black podium in gymnastics history on Aug. 5, with gold medalist in the event Rebeca Andrade and silver medalist, fellow Team USA gymnast Simone Biles.

But on Saturday, Aug. 10, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of Maneca-Voinea and Barbosu’s challenge of Chiles’ placement. The challenge claimed that Landi submitted her challenge of Chiles’ first score four seconds too late.

Chiles, who had earned her first individual Olympic medal after the event, was stripped of it.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) attempted to appeal the decision, claiming there was video evidence that Landi’s challenge was made in time.

However, as of the CAS on Aug. 12, Barbosu is the only gymnast who will receive the bronze medal.

This is wrong on SO many levels.

 

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