Jordan Chiles isn’t the first athlete to have an Olympic medal taken away.
Chiles had an impressive run at the 2024 Paris Games earning a team all-around goal with the rest of the U.S. gymnastics team on July 30 and a bronze in the individual flour exercise competition on Aug. 5.
However, she lost it five days after a judge for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of two Romanian gymnasts, Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. They finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The decision to withdraw the Chiles Medal came after a protest by the Romanian Olympic committee, who claimed that the difficulty score inquiry submitted by the American coach passed the one-minute deadline. (Chiles originally finished in fifth place, before the inquiry that boosted her score to medal.)
Stripping an athlete of their Olympic medal isn’t a new move, though the decision to do so is rare. Several athletes from Summer Games past have had their medals taken away, though a failed drug test or use of a banned substance have been the most common reasons why.
In Chiles’ case, the medal-revoking decision could be reversed. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced they appealed the ruling after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordered Chiles to return her bronze.
The International Gymnastics Federation, which governs the sport, confirmed in a statement later Saturday that Chiles’ score had been reinstated and that Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who scored a 13.7, has been moved back into third place.
It remains unclear whether all of this means Chiles, 23, now must give back her bronze medal. A spokesperson for the FIG said the reallocation of medals is the responsibility of the International Olympic Committee. The IOC’s press office has not replied to multiple messages seeking comment and clarity on the situation
