US gymnast Jordan Chiles has spoken out after being stripped of her Olympic bronze medal, saying she has been subjected to racially motivated abuse on social media. Chiles had initially finished fifth in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics but was upgraded to third after a successful appeal. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) later voided the appeal, ruling it was filed four seconds after the one-minute time limit, and the International Olympic Committee ordered the return of the medal.
The decision promoted Romania's Ana Barbosu to third, while Chiles dropped back to fifth. The Romanian Olympic Committee had requested that both gymnasts be awarded bronze, but Cas dismissed the appeal, stating its decision is final even with new evidence. USA Gymnastics has submitted evidence claiming the appeal was within the time limit, but Cas rejected it.
Chiles took a break from social media but returned on Thursday to express her distress. 'I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow not just to me but to everyone who has championed my journey,' she wrote. 'To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful.'
Chiles vowed to continue fighting for the medal. 'I will approach this challenge as I have others – and I will make every effort to ensure that justice is done,' she said. USA Gymnastics could take the case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, though such appeals rarely succeed. It has also emerged that the head of the Cas panel, Dr Hamid G Gharavi, has performed legal work for the Romanian government, a fact disclosed to the parties without objection.
Former Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci criticised the impact on athletes' mental health, posting: 'I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this … Let’s protect them.' Chiles also won gold in the team event in Paris.
