Now that Jordan Chiles‘ Olympic bronze medal has been revoked, Romania’s Ana Bărbosu will receive it during a formal ceremony. The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee announced in a press release that the event will take place in Bucharest on Friday, August 16.
On Tuesday, August 13, USA Gymnastics insisted that they are “still working full-time to pursue justice for Jordan,” in an X post.
The medal controversy began earlier this month during the Paris Olympics women’s gymnastics floor final. Jordan, 23, was initially in fifth place, and Ana, 18, was in third. Jordan’s coach, Cecile Landi, submitted an inquiry to the judges regarding Jordan’s difficulty score. Moments after Ana started celebrating her bronze medal victory, her and Jordan’s scores were updated, and Jordan was moved up to third place. Ana was seen walking away crying as a result.
As we continue to celebrate the successes of Team USA Gymnasts on social media, know that we are still working full-time to pursue justice for Jordan.
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 13, 2024
Jordan joined the podium with teammate Simone Biles (who won silver) and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (who won gold) following their floor performances. The three women made up the first all-Black female podium in Olympics history. Simone, 27, and Jordan even showed their support for Rebeca by bowing down to her on the podium.
Following the celebration, Jordan was bullied online from social media trolls, some of whom claimed that she didn’t deserve the bronze medal. Others even accused her of cheating. However, Cecile came to Jordan’s defense by explaining what happened in an Instagram comment.
“Jordan’s highest possible [start value] on floor is a 5.9 — At quals and team finals, she received a 5.8, and we didn’t question it because we saw that not all the elements were completed,” Cecile wrote. “Being placed 5th with nothing to lose, I sent the inquiry so I wouldn’t regret not asking. I didn’t think it would be accepted and, to my surprise, it was.”
Cecile pointed out that she “of course” feels “bad for the Romanian athlete,” adding that it was “so sad and heartbreaking to see” her in tears but added that this “is the sport!”
“You don’t have to like it, but you do have to respect the outcome and more importantly respect Jordan and not drag her down because you disagree,” Cecile concluded. “She EARNED that bronze medal.”
However, Romania fought the results, and the country’s prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, refused to attend the Olympics Closing Ceremony because of the “scandalous” and “unacceptable” ordeal, he said in a statement.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) then ruled that Ana should receive the bronze medal, alleging that Team USA had submitted its score inquiry four seconds past the one-minute deadline. However, USAG refuted the ruling by submitting video evidence.
On Monday, August 13, the CAS rejected USA’s evidence because their rules “do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” according to an Instagram post shared by USAG.
Amid the controversy, Jordan announced she was taking a break from social media. Meanwhile, Ana shared a public statement sending Jordan her best wishes. According to the message that she shared via her Instagram Stories, Ana noted that her “true dream” is that they will share the same podium at the next Olympic Games.