CONTROVERSY: Jordan Chiles’ Appeal Denied By Court of Arbitration, Olympic Gymnast Will Lose Bronze Medal

“We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process,” USA Gymnastics said. Jordan Chiles has officially been stripped of her Olympic bronze medal.

USA Gymnastics announced in a statement on social media Monday, Aug. 12, that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has denied the Olympian’s appeal to reinstate the bronze medal she received after the women’s individual floor exercise final on Monday, Aug. 5.

“USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” the statement read. “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.”

Chiles, 23, was in fifth place when the competition initially ended on Aug. 5, behind Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. The American gymnast scored a 13.666 on her routine initially, putting her behind the Romanians, who were tied with a 13.700. Chiles’ coaches appealed the score because her difficulty should have been higher to include adequate credit for a leap that involved performing a split in the air while turning 540 degrees.

Judges agreed with Coach Cecile Landi’s appeal and awarded Chiles credit for the skill which changed her score to 13.766 and put her in the bronze medal position. Chiles stood on the first all-Black podium in gymnastics history on Aug. 5, with gold medalist in the event Rebeca Andrade and silver medalist, fellow Team USA gymnast Simone Biles.