Team USA apparently has “video evidence” that could see Jordan Chiles keep her Olympic Games bronze medal after a controversial ruling from The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In a statement shared by USA Gymnastics (the National Governing Body of Gymnastics in the USA) on X (formerly Twitter), they said they had formally disclosed evidence to prove Chiles should keep her medal to the CAS.
“USA Gymnastics on Sunday 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 one-minute deadline required by FIG rule,” the statement reads.
“In the letter, USA Gymnastics requests that the CAS ruling be revised and Chiles’ bronze-medal score of 13.766 reinstated.”
Jordan Chiles was overwhelmed when she won the bronze medal with her floor routine. (Image: Getty)
The reason why this is so important comes down to the timing of the inquiry. You see, when Chiles first performed her floor routine for the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final, she was in fifth place behind Romania’s Ana Barbousu and Sabrina Voinea.
However, Team USA coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi made an appeal, or an inquiry, to have 0.1 added to her original score. This meant Jordan was launched from fifth to third, securing her the bronze medal.
Appeals for competitions like this need to be made within the one-minute window allowed for scoring inquiries, and according to the CAS, Canqueteau-Landi’s inquiry came four seconds too late, at 64 seconds. If Team USA’s new claim the inquiry happened at 47 seconds is true, this opens up a whole other can of worms.
“The time-stamped, video evidence submitted by USA Gymnastics Sunday evening shows Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted,” USA Gymnastics’ statement continues.
“The video footage provided was not available to USA Gymnastics prior to the tribunal’s decision and thus USAG did not have the opportunity to previously submit it.”
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee previously said they would be fighting CAS’ controversial decision.
“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 told CNN.
The IOC confirmed Jordan Chiles will be stripped of her bronze medal. (Image: Getty)
“The initial error occurred in the scoring by FIG, and the second error was during the CAS appeal process, where the USOPC was not given adequate time or notice to effectively challenge the decision. As a result, we were not properly represented or afforded the opportunity to present our case comprehensively.
“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.”
Chiles also took to her Instagram story to share one update since the controversy, saying she would be taking a break from social media.
“I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you,” she wrote.
Jordan Chiles’ statement on Instagram. (Image: Instagram @jordanchiles)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the CAS have yet to release a statement in response to USA Gymnastics.
Feature Image: Getty
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