US Olympic officials are appealing a court ruling that resulted in American gymnast Jordan Chiles being asked to return the bronze medal she won in the Paris Olympics floor exercise.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) voided an on-floor appeal by Chiles's coach that vaulted her to third, saying the appeal came 4 seconds beyond the 1 minute time limit for scoring inquiries.
USA Gymnastics disputed the timing, saying in a statement on Monday, local time, that the agency submitted video evidence to CAS that showed coach Cecile Landi first appealed 13 seconds before the deadline.
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"The time-stamped, video evidence submitted by USA Gymnastics Sunday evening shows Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted."
The dispute over such minute details sets up what could be a months- or years-long legal battle over the gymnastics scores.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said over the weekend it would respect the court's decision and elevate Ana Barbosu of Romania to third. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the ruling, announcing that it was reallocating the medal.
"We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed," the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) statement said.
CAS ruled that Team USA coach Landi's inquiry to have 0.1 added to Chiles's score came outside the 1 minute window. The CAS ad hoc committee wrote that Landi's inquiry came1 minute, 4 seconds after Chiles's initial score was posted.
The IOC said in a statement it will be in touch with the USOPC regarding the return of Chiles's bronze and will work with the Romanian Olympic Committee to discuss a reallocation ceremony honouring Barbosu.
"The initial error occurred in the scoring by FIG, and the second error was during the CAS appeal process, where the USOPC was not given adequate time or notice to effectively challenge the decision," said a USOPC statement, which was released on Sunday.
It was unclear the exact process the appeal would take first. The two potential places the USOPC could take the appeal would be to Switzerland's highest court, the Swiss Tribunal, or the European Court of Human Rights.
CAS wrote on Saturday that the initial finishing order should be restored, with Barbosu third, Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth. The organisation added the FIG should determine the final ranking "in accordance with the above decision," but left it up to the federation to decide who would get the medal behind gold winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and silver medallist Simone Biles of the US.
The FIG said it was the IOC's call on whether to reallocate the medal. The IOC confirmed on Sunday it would respect FIG's decision and seek to have Chiles's medal returned.
The rapid turn of events adds another layer to what has been a difficult few days for all three athletes.
Romanian gymnastics legend and 1976 Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci feared for Barbosu's mental health because of the wrenching sequence in which she went from bronze medallist to fourth-place finisher.
"I can't believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this … let's protect them," Comaneci posted on X earlier in the week.
Chiles hinted at the decision in an Instagram story on Saturday, indicating she is heartbroken and is "taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you".
US teammates offered support to Chiles, a two-time Olympian.
"Sending you so much love Jordan," American star Biles posted on Instagram. "Keep your chin up 'Olympic champ' we love you."
Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea were left outside the medals in the floor final after finishing with matching scores of 13.700. Barbosu thought she had won bronze over Maneca-Voinea via a tiebreaker — a higher execution score — and began celebrating with a Romanian flag.
Chiles was the last athlete to compete and initially given a score of 13.666 that placed her fifth, right behind Maneca-Voinea. Landi called for an inquiry on Chiles's score was announced.
"At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like, 'We're just going to try,'" Landi said after the awards ceremony. "I honestly didn't think it was going to happen, but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like 'What?'"
Judges awarded the appeal, leapfrogging Chiles past Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea.
Barbosu made it a point after returning home to Romania that she had no problem with Chiles.
"I only want for everybody to be fair, we don't want to start picking on other athletes of any nationality," Barbosu told reporters. "We as athletes don't deserve something like that, we only want to perform as best as we can and to be rewarded based on our performance. The problems lie with the judges, with their calculations and decisions."
Chiles's mother, Gina Chiles, called out the critics in a post, writing she was "tired" of the derogatory comments being levelled at Jordan.
"My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched," Gina Chiles posted. "And she's being called disgusting things."
The uncertainty also tinges what had been a beautiful moment on the medal stand, when Chiles and Biles knelt to honour Andrade after the Brazilian star won her fourth medal in Paris.
AP
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