Jordan Chiles Just Revealed That She Still Has Her Olympic Medal

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Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her bronze Olympic medal by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who recently ruled that the medal will go to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu. This shocking decision came six full days after Jordan made history alongside Simone Biles (who won silver) and Rebeca Andrade (who won gold) as part of the first all-Black Olympic gymnastics podium. Here’s what happened and how Jordan, her family, and Team USA are responding.

August 5, 2024

Jordan initially medaled in the Women’s Individual Floor Exercise. Her score was 13.666, but U.S. gymnastics coach Cecile Landi challenged the difficulty score specifically, and—following review—Jordan’s final score was bumped up by 1/10 of a point to 13.766, earning her bronze.

August 6, 2024

So... ^^^ this meant Ana Bărbosu didn’t medal, and the Romanian team wasn’t thrilled. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said in a Facebook statement, “I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner. To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!”

August 9, 2024

Jordan told CBS Mornings, “There were so many emotions going through my body in that moment...It was a surreal moment…I saw the score change and I was just like, ‘What is going on? Is this real? Is this happening?’ I was just, again, in that moment just very happy and obviously happy for the other athletes as well.”

August 10, 2024

Team Romania questioned Team USA’s initial appeal on the grounds that it allegedly came too late, and CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) ruled that the inquiry was filed “beyond the 1-minute deadline.”

Following the CAS decision, Team USA released a statement saying, “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.”

“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media,” the statement continued. “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.”

Jordan also announced that she was taking a break from social media for her mental health as she awaited the IOC’s decision.

Simone Biles, for her part, spoke out with a message of support for her teammate:

Meanwhile, Jordan’s sister issued a statement about the racism Jordan has faced since winning bronze. She also noted that Jordan’s bronze was stripped over “4 seconds of time that would have never needed to happen if the judges did their job.”

August 11, 2024

The IOC said it would abide by the CAS’s decision, noting the following in a statement on Sunday, August 11: “Following the CAS decision with regard to the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final and the amendment of the ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation, the IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Bărbosu (Romania). We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony.”

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee issued an additional statement on Sunday, saying, “We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed.”

They added, “Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves. We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.”

Furthermore, USA Gymnastics also claimed that Landi filed for the inquiry in 47 seconds, which is within the 1-minute deadline required by FIG rule *and* that it has submitted time-stamped video evidence.

August 12, 2024

In a shocking new development announced late on August 12, “USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented.”

That same day, Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu took to Instagram following the IOC’s ruling that restored her third-place status to express her feelings about the incident.

“Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you,” she penned on her Story (via Page Six). “I know what you are feeling, because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger. I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share same podium. This is my true dream!”

FYI, in addition to Jordan, the Olympian also referenced Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who finished in fourth place alongside the USA star thanks to this new ruling.

Also on August 12, 2024...

Fellow gymnast Aly Raisman came to Jordan’s defense during an appearance on Today. “This is just so heartbreaking, and I’m so gutted for Jordan,” she began before noting, “I can’t even imagine what this past week has been like for Jordan and the other athletes involved. This is completely devastating. I don’t think people realize these gymnasts work their entire lives for this moment, and it’s supposed to be a celebration.”

“I think it’s so unfair. It’s so cruel. And I don’t think that Jordan should have to give her medal back. The IOC has given more than one medal before, and I think that they should do that now,” the celeb added.

She also touched on the ramifications of Jordan’s original score being incorrect: “Look, the judges are human, we all make mistakes, but what’s so devastating is this is the biggest moment of their lives. These gymnasts have worked so hard. They play fair. They’ve done everything right, and the judges did make a mistake. They put the inquiry in. The judges accepted it, which means that they felt that it was under that minute.”

August 13, 2024

USA Gymnastics released another statement after the ruling. “As we continue to celebrate the successes of Team USA Gymnasts on social media, know that we are still working full-time to pursue justice for Jordan,” the org wrote.

Flava Flav also showed his support for Jordan and Team USA, writing, “Put me in coach,,, tell me who I need to call and tell em what time it is!!!”

August 15, 2024

Jordan entered the chat and penned a heartbreaking tribute about how the entire 2024 Olympics ordeal has affected her.

The post came just hours after the International Olympic Committee confirmed that Romania could go ahead and award gymnast Ana Bărbosu a bronze medal—a move that opened the door for what Romanian officials have said will be a medal ceremony on Friday, August 16, in Bucharest.

August 16, 2024

Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu received her Olympic bronze medal during a ceremony in Bucharest that ended the bronze medal controversy. “I did not expect the medal to be so heavy, but I would wear it day and night if this is what it takes to have it,” she reportedly said after the ceremony.

August 26, 2024

In an interview with People, Simone Biles revealed how she’s been a supportive teammate to Jordan during this time. “We’ve been FaceTiming, texting, just being girls,” she said before adding, “I did talk to her on one of the days, and I was like, ‘You know what, Jordan, you have to feel all these feels. Don’t let these emotions stop you. This will be the healthiest way to get all of this out.’”

As for her ~thoughts~ on the matter in general? “It’s an unfortunate circumstance because something like this has never happened before and it’s truly a shame, but we wish all three girls could get the medal and unfortunately in gymnastics that’s not the case,” the gymnast confessed.

She continued to note that she wanted “justice” for her friend, as she didn’t agree with the ruling to strip her of her medal. “Do we think they did the correct procedures to come to this ruling? No. That’s really why we want that justice for Jordan and why we’re going to keep supporting her and uplifting her.”

November 11, 2024

During an appearance on the Today show, Jordan speaks out publicly about the ordeal for the first time and reveals new details.

“Honestly, it’s been really, really hard just to comprehend everything that’s been happening [...] Finally, now I feel comfortable, in a way, to talk about what has been happening. I feel like I recently have been trying to tell myself I’ve been okay, the past four, five months, and it’s honestly been a very, very difficult time,” the gymnast begins.

Noting that she’s ready “to speak on my truth,” Jordan admits to reconciling feeling as though she made the right moves and was still penalized. “It’s hard to tell yourself that everything’s going to be fine when you know literally we didn’t do anything wrong,” she explains. “Everything was very right. Everything was in the time that it needed to be, and for them to come back and say it was four seconds late when we’ve had proof. We’ve had everything that really can show that everything was right.”

“So I think now it’s just the support that’s been around me I’m like, ‘Okay, I can’t control anything that’s happening on the outside, I can only control what my truth is and I know what the truth is and I know that we were right in everything that we were doing,’” the 23-year-old adds.

Jordan also emphasizes how important it was to her to stand on the podium alongside her teammate Simone Biles and Brazilian gymnast Rebecca Andrade. “It was like a cherry on top. My redemption tour going into Paris was yes, coming back with a gold, coming back with the understanding that I was able to go out there and be the best version of myself. And with this floor medal it was like, ‘Wow, I never expected myself to even make a floor final.’ [...] It was an all-Black podium, that was history made. That was something I was very proud to be a part of.”

As for whether she still has the bronze medal? “I have the medal,” she tells host Hoda Kotb. “The medal is mine.”

We’ll be updating this story with news as it breaks.

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