Jordan Chiles Speaks Out After Controversial Olympic Bronze Medal Revoked
Jordan Chiles has spoken out after her Olympic bronze medal was revoked following a controversial decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Initially finishing fifth in the individual women’s floor exercise final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Chiles moved up to third after the IOC approved a request from Team USA to reassess the difficulty of her routine.
However, Team Romania challenged the timing of the appeal, and the IOC ultimately ruled in their favor, requiring Chiles to return the medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. Four days later, Chiles addressed the situation on Instagram, expressing her heartbreak over the decision and the racially driven attacks she has faced online, while also reaffirming her pride in representing her culture and country.
However, Team Romania challenged the timing of the appeal, and the IOC ultimately ruled in their favor, requiring Chiles to return the medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. Four days later, Chiles addressed the situation on Instagram, expressing her heartbreak over the decision and the racially driven attacks she has faced online, while also reaffirming her pride in representing her culture and country.
Transcript
00:00Jordan Childs has responded to her Olympic bronze medal being revoked after the International
00:05Olympic Committee decided against their previous decision.
00:09Jordan Childs, a key member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team, found herself at the center
00:13of a heated controversy during the 2024 Paris Olympics after a disputed bronze medal finish.
00:20While competing in the individual women's floor exercise final, Childs initially finished
00:24in fifth place.
00:25However, after this, the USA Gymnastics team asked if the difficulty of Childs' routine
00:30could be taken into account.
00:32The International Olympic Committee, or the IOC, approved, and Childs' score was raised,
00:37pushing her up to third place and securing her the bronze medal, or so we thought.
00:42Team Romania argued that the IOC and Team USA's request to take the difficulty of Childs'
00:47routine into account was delivered four seconds too late.
00:50After reviewing Team Romania's claim, the IOC ruled in their favor and stated that Childs
00:55would be required to return the medal to Romanian gymnast Anna Barbosu.
00:59Now, four days after the final decision on the matter, Jordan Childs is addressing the
01:03debacle on Instagram, where she wrote,
01:05While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze
01:09medal had been stripped away.
01:11I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my
01:16score followed all the rules.
01:18This appeal was unsuccessful.
01:19To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted and racially driven attacks on social media are
01:23wrong and extremely hurtful.
01:25I've poured my heart and soul into this sport, and I am so proud to represent my culture
01:30and my country.