American gymnast Jordan Chiles will have to return her bronze medal which she won in the Paris Olympics 2024 floor exercise after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in Romanian Ana Barbosu's favour. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on August 11 confirmed that her bronze medal will be reallocated to Barbosu, a day after International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said that it would respect the court's decision.
US coach Cecile Landi got 0.1 added to Chile's score that led to her getting elevated from fifth to third position. The on-floor appeal came outside the one-minute window after the score was posted which made it null and void.
“The inquiry submitted on behalf of Ms Jordan Chiles in the Final of the women’s Floor exercise was raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline provided by article 8.5 of the 2024 FIG Technical Regulations and is determined to be without effect,” the decision read in part.
Joint statement from US Olympic and Paralympic Committee
Barbosu will now be honoured in a reallocation ceremony. The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee are in conversation with the Romanian Olympic Committee to arrange the return of bronze medal.
"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," US Olympic and Paralymic Committee said in a joint statement.
"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."
Chiles takes mental health break
Meanwhile, Chiles who faced abuse on social media posted heartbreak emojis on her Instagram story. She followed it up with a message saying that she is taking a break from social media for her mental health.
She wrote: “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health. Thank you.”
Vinesh eagerly waits for verdict
The decision comes a couple of days ahead of CAS' verdict on whether Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat be awarded silver medal after she got disqualified for being 100 grams overweight on the morning of her gold medal bout.
Sports Tak has learnt that the delay in decision indicates that Vinesh may end up winning the appeal and India will have their seventh medal at the Games.
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