WASHINGTON — In a heartbreaking turn, American gymnast Jordan Chiles may have her Olympic bronze medal revoked after the governing court for sports ruled that the U.S. challenge to her score came too late.
Nearly a week after being awarded the medal, the ruling extends the drama surrounding the finale of the women's floor exercise competition.
Here's what's being said about the bronze medal situation:
Jordan Chiles
Chiles herself hasn't commented directly on the ruling. But hours before the statement became public, she posted broken heart emojis to her Instagram story and said she would be taking a break from her social media accounts.
"I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health. Thank you," Chiles wrote .
The 23-year-old faced social media harassment in the aftermath of the competition, with critics asking her to give back the medal or offering racist remarks. Chiles posted on X earlier this week that “it's funny how people can still never be happy for someone.”
Chiles' mother, Gina Chiles, called out the critics in a post, writing she was “tired” of the derogatory comments being leveled 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.”
Suni Lee
One of Chiles' Olympic teammates, Suni Lee, posted to her own Instagram story that she was "gutted" by the situation, and blamed the competition's judges for allowing ambiguity to cloud the results.
"All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges??" Lee wrote. "Completely unacceptable. This is awful and I'm gutted for Jordan. I got your back forever Jo. U have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an Olympic champion."
Simone Biles
“Sending you so much love Jordan," Biles posted on Instagram. “Keep your chin up ‘Olympic champ’ we love you.”
Bernice King
Bernice King, the daughter of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., took to X, formerly Twitter, to celebrate Chiles in response to the ruling.
"You are a champion," she wrote. "You suggested one of the most memorable, love-centered moments in sports history. No matter what happens next, you are great, now and forever. And the error of others does not change your character. I’m grateful for you and for your example."
USA Gymnastics
The organization that sent Chiles to the Olympics said in a joint statement with the U.S. Olympic Committee on X that they were "devastated" by the ruling, and vowed to support her.
"We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women's floor exercise. 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," the post reads. "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."
Ed. Note: Some social media posts have been transcribed with minor grammar edits for clarity.
