American gymnast Jordan Chiles has officially lost the bronze medal she earned in the women’s floor final, following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced that Romania’s Ana Barbosu has been elevated from fourth to third place following this decision.
The CAS ruling came after an appeal from the Romanian Olympic Committee challenging Chiles’ score.
The court determined that the inquiry submitted by the U.S. team regarding her score was filed beyond the one-minute limit for such appeals, rendering it invalid.
Consequently, Chiles’ original score has been reinstated, placing her in fifth position.
The decision has sent shockwaves through the gymnastics community. Both USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee expressed their dismay, stating they were “devastated” by the outcome.
In a joint statement, they condemned the “consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks” directed at Chiles via social media during the appeal process, highlighting the negative impact of online harassment on athletes’ mental health.
In response to the ruling and the social media backlash, Chiles, 23, who previously won gold in the women’s team event, took to Instagram to express her feelings.
She shared a story decorated with four broken heart emojis and announced her decision to step back from social media for the sake of her mental health.
“I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you,” she wrote.
