U.S. Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles has been vocal about the possibility that racism contributed to the decision to rescind her bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics. During an interview on the “Baby, this is Keke Palmer” podcast, Chiles discussed the emotional impact of receiving racist comments following the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturning a score change that initially placed her third on the women’s floor exercise podium. Chiles revealed that she had not initially considered the racial implications of the situation until she began receiving increasingly threatening messages, which she said made the experience ‘really, really tough.’ She also highlighted the significance of the first-ever all-Black podium in Olympic history, which featured her, U.S. teammate Simone Biles, and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade. Chiles expressed the view that some people were uncomfortable with the sight of three Black women dominating the podium, stating that they didn’t ‘want to see that’ and ‘didn’t want to see the fact that we were just dominating.’
The controversy has intensified with ongoing appeals from Chiles and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), who argue that the CAS decision was flawed and that the appeals process was unfair. The case has also sparked international scrutiny of the judging panel and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which the CAS and USOPC have criticized for not having adequate safeguards to prevent such disputes. Chiles and her legal team are currently appealing the CAS decision, with her lawyers claiming that her coach submitted the appeal on time and that video evidence proves it. They have also suggested that the official who made the decision to strip Chiles’ medal had ties to Romania. Chiles has also filed an appeal in the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, arguing that she was not given a fair opportunity to defend herself and that the CAS did not properly consider video evidence.
Romania’s Ana Barbosu initially finished with a higher score than Chiles once the American completed her routine. At the end of the floor exercise final, Barbosu clinched third place and a spot on the podium after judging initially finished. However, a U.S. coach spoke to the judges and appealed the scoring on one of Chiles’ moves. After review, Chiles’ score was bumped up, putting her in third place and leaving Barbosu off the podium. Upon seeing the scoring change on the board, Barbosu dropped the Romanian flag she was holding, covered her face with her hands, and walked away in tears. Chiles went on to accept the bronze medal and join Biles and Andrade on the podium. However, on the last day of the Olympics, the CAS ruled that the Chiles appeal was submitted past the one-minute deadline, changing her score to drop her back into fifth place. The next day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) determined that Chiles must return the medal.
Chiles had previously claimed she was facing ‘racially driven attacks’ from social media users, as mentioned in a statement posted to X. In her first interview after the incident, she reiterated the same sentiments, stating, ‘To me, everything that has gone on is not about the medal, it’s about, you know, my skin color.’ The controversy has sparked international scrutiny of the judges who scored the event, with CAS and the USOPC jointly condemning the FIG and the judging crew for the outcome. They expressed hope that the FIG would take the consequences of the case into account to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Barbosu, who received her bronze medal shortly after the Olympics ended, expressed sympathy for her American opponent, as well as her Romanian teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, whose finish was also affected by the scoring changes. ‘I can’t help but think about Sabrina and Jordan right now,’ Barbosu said in a statement. ‘It’s a difficult situation for us, with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions. I hope everyone understands that we have not done anything wrong at the Olympics. And that the Olympic spirit is more important than any misunderstanding between the authorities.’ Barbosu is currently competing in women’s gymnastics at Stanford, while Chiles is competing at UCLA. The two programs are set to face off on March 7.