Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal Will Be Reallocated, IOC Rules

Jordan Chiles will be stripped of her individual bronze Olympic medal, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“Following the CAS decision with regard to the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final and the amendment of the ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation, the IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu,” the IOC wrote in a statement on Sunday, August 11, per CNN. “We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal.”

Hours earlier, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) ruled against Chiles’ boosted score that helped her clinch the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Games. The decision would uphold Chiles’ original score of 13.666 from the floor exercise final.

During the event final on Monday, August 5, Chiles, 23, finished behind Ana Barbosu in the rotation. Team USA subsequently requested an inquiry into the difficulty level of one of Chiles’ leaps, which was granted. The change moved Chiles into the third position behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade and Chiles’ teammate Simone Biles.

Days later, Team Romania filed an inquiry with the CAS about the validity of the American challenge. The CAS found on Saturday, August 10, that the U.S.’s inquiry was filed four seconds after the 1-minute deadline.

The Romanian gymnastics organization, however, asked in their inquiry that Chiles, Barbosu, 18, and their fellow athlete Sabrina Maneca-Voinea split the bronze position. Sunday’s IOC ruling denied the potential of a tie.

Neither Chiles nor USA Gymnastics has publicly responded to the IOC ruling. On Saturday, the American organization issued a statement regarding the investigation.

“The inquiry into the difficulty value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” a statement from USA Gymnastics read. “Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media.”

The statement added, “No athlete should be subject to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her.”

Chiles, meanwhile, noted via her Instagram Story that she planned to take a social media break for her mental health amid the controversy. Her fellow Team USA gymnasts — Biles, 27, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera — all remain in her corner.

“Don’t punish the athlete for someone else’s mistake,” Carey, 24, wrote via her Instagram Story on Saturday. “[I’m] with you all the way, Jo. You are forever an Olympic champion [who] has so much to be proud of.”

Team USA won gold in the team finals, with Biles, Lee, 21, and Carey also taking home individual medals in the all-around, uneven bars and vault finals, respectively.