International Federation of Gymnastics passes decision on Jordan Chiles’ Olympic medal to IOC

The drama surrounding the bronze medal for the women’s gymnastics floor routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics will apparently be resolved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), according to the Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner. A decision was previously expected from the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG).

Chiles was elevated from fifth to third and claimed bronze after the competition was completed as the United States coaches filed a scoring inquiry, giving the bronze medal to United States olympian Jordan Chiles. This caused a furor for the Romanian delegation, as one of their gymnasts was dropped from the podium.

And the subsequent appeals by the Romanians appeared to result in a decision on Saturday that seemed set to then drop Chiles from the podium. Now, though, the final decision about the bronze medal for the women’s gymnastics floor routine will fall to the IOC.

More on the drama around Chiles and the bronze medal

USA Gymnastics has released a statement after Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal in the floor routine came into question. She initially finished fifth in the event, but moved up to third after an inquiry.

On Saturday, the Court of Arbitration ruled the judging panel improperly granted the inquiry, and a court in Switzerland ruled the appeal came in past the deadline. As a result, the judges shouldn’t have granted it, the court argued, and she might have to return the medal as a result.

In its statement, USA Gymnastics said the inquiry was filed in good faith. It also said Chiles has faced attacks on social media as a result of the situation.

“We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise,” the statement read. “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.

“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’ routine first appeared to put her in fifth behind two gymnasts tied for third with a score of 13.7. However, Team USA used an inquiry to double-check the UCLA star’s score, resulting in a boost to 13.766, taking her to third. Chiles won the bronze medal after taking home a gold in the women’s team finals.

As part of the fallout from the decision, Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said he plans to boycott Sunday’s closing ceremonies. Ana Barbosu was the gymnast who initially finished third and would’ve won the bronze medal before the inquiry moved Chiles into that spot.