Jordan Chiles’ sister claims her bronze medal has been stripped after Olympics controversy

USA gymnast Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her bronze medal in the floor routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to her sister Jazmin Chiles.

Jazmin posted on Instagram about the decision, saying of her sister in part that: “They have officially, 5 days later, stripped her of one of her medals.”

Jazmin Chiles, Jordan Chiles’ sister, says the gymnast was officially stripped of her medal:

“Racism is real, it exists, it is alive and well.” pic.twitter.com/e7XHRbiEEB

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 10, 2024

Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal came into question earlier on Saturday. She initially finished fifth in the floor routine, but moved up to third after an inquiry about the difficulty of the routine.

USA Gymnastics said the inquiry was filed in good faith. It also said Chiles has faced attacks on social media as a result of the situation.

“We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise,” the statement read. “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.

“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media. 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.”

According to Jazmin Chiles, Jordan Chiles lost her bronze medal because the inquiry about the difficulty of the routine was not filed in time.

“Not because she didn’t win, not because she was drugged, not because she stepped out of bounds, not because she wasn’t good enough,” Jazmin Chiles posted. “But because the judges failed to give her difficulty and forced an inquiry to be made.

“Four seconds. Her bronze was stripped over 4 seconds of time that would have never needed to happen if the judges did their job.”

Jazmin Chiles added: “Please keep Jordan (and my family) in your prayers). Racism is real, it exists, it is alive and well.”

Chiles’ routine first appeared to put her in fifth behind two gymnasts tied for third with a score of 13.7. However, Team USA used an inquiry to double-check the UCLA star’s score, resulting in a boost to 13.766, taking her to third. Chiles won the bronze medal after taking home a gold in the women’s team finals.

As part of the fallout from the decision, Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said he plans to boycott Sunday’s closing ceremonies. Ana Barbosu was the gymnast who initially finished third and would’ve won the bronze medal before the inquiry moved Chiles into that spot.

“I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner,” Ciolacu said in a post on Facebook. “To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal… is totally unacceptable!”

When the moment happened in the arena, Barbosu, who had been celebrating with a Romanian flag around her shoulders, dropped the flag and quickly left the floor.

Ciolacu claimed international audiences were “literally shocked by this terrible scene” and argued it highlighted something wrong in the systems used to adjudicate the Olympics.