Mamas Uncut

Appeal Denied after USA Gymnastics files video evidence proving the Jordan Chiles’ inquiry was accurately submitted

Sara Vallone

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USA Gymnastics has responded to the IOC’s decision to strip Jordan Chiles of her Olympic gold medal.

In the statement shared on Aug. 11, USA Gymnastics revealed that it “formally submitted a letter and video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, conclusively establishing that Head Coach Cecile Landi’s request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the publishing of the score, within the 1-minute deadline required by FIG rule.”

“In the letter, USA Gymnastics requests that the CAS ruling be revised and Chiles’ bronze-medal score of 13.766 reinstated,” the statement continued. “The basis for the CAS ruling on Friday striking down the inquiry was that “The inquiry submitted on behalf of Ms. Jordan Chiles in the Final of the women’s floor exercise was raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline provided by article 8.5 of the 2024 FIG Technical Regulations and is determined to be without effect.”

According to USAG, “the time-stamped, video evidence submitted shows Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted.”

“The video footage provided was not available to USA Gymnastics prior to the tribunal’s decision,” the statement concludes, “and thus USAG did not have the opportunity to previously submit it.”

The appeal however has been denied by CAS.

In an additional statement from USA Gymnastics, they promised to continue to fight for Chiles’ so that she can keep the bronze metal she earned.

“We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan,” the statement concluded.

Jordan Chiles has officially been stripped of her Olympic bronze medal.

On August 11, it was announced that after Chiles’ inquiry was voided, she was to relinquish her medal, which will now be awarded to Romania’s Ana Barbosu. 

“We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal,” a statement released by the International Olympic Committee read.

As it was previously reported, the inquiry submitted by USA gymnastics that afforded Chiles the bronze medal in floor on the final day of competition was voided on August 10.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the inquiry that led to Chiles’ bronze medal win “was improperly granted,” citing that the inquiry was submitted “past the one-minute deadline for inquires.” Specifically the inquiry was submitted one minute and four seconds after Chiles completed her routine, meaning Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi was just four seconds late.

“The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique shall determine the ranking of the women’s floor exercise and assign the medals in accordance with the above decision,” the CAS wrote in their final decision.

USA Gymnastics have since shared their own statement condemning CAS’s final ruling.

“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 statement 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.”

Chiles herself took to social media to share a brief statement following the decision. After sharing a series of broken heart emojis, she announced that she was taking a step back from social media to focus on her mental health. “I’m taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health. Thank you.”

Appeal Denied after USA Gymnastics files video evidence proving the Jordan Chiles' inquiry was accurately submitted | USA Gymnastics has responded to the IOC's decision to strip Jordan Chiles of her Olympic gold medal.

A day before the decision was made, Chiles’ mom condemned the racist comments her daughter had been subjected to since she won the bronze medal.

“The racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024. I’m tired of people who say it no longer exists,” Gina wrote.

“My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched…and she’s being called disgusting things.”

As it was reported, Chiles claimed bronze after her coaches submitted an inquiry about her score. The inquiry was that Chiles’ leap was labeled as a c-start value, instead of a d-start value, which raises Chiles overall score.

The inquiry was reviewed and approved by the judges.

Chiles’ teammate Suni Lee also shared a statement. “All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges? Completely unacceptable,” Lee began. “This is awful and I’m gutted for Jordan. I got your back forever, Jo. [You] have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an Olympic champion.”

The coaches for the two Romanian gymnasts who finished fourth and fifth also submitted an inquiry, but that submission was not accepted.

“We see this in sports all the time,” Justin Springs explained. “There’s video review, you go back and you make sure you get it right. She in fact did a D leap, she got credit for it. It was unfortunate that they got it wrong in the first place. But the right thing happened in the end.”

The exact element in question is called a Tour Jete Full.

Chiles didn’t get credit for it in qualifying but her coaches, Cecile and Laurent Landi, believed she did it better during finals and inquired to ensure she received the points for the Tour Jete full. 

As a result, she received a score one-tenth higher than she was originally given, putting Chiles in the third place spot.

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