Jordan Chiles is speaking out after she was stripped of her 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medal.
In a post shared on Instagram, the gymnast shared that she is "overwhelmed" by the "love I have received over the past few days."
"I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG, and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time. While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away," she added in a statement shared over a picture of herself competing at the Olympics.
"I had confidence in the appeal brought my USAG, who gave inclusive evidence that my score followed the rules," she continued. "This appeal was unsuccessful."
Chiles went on to say that she "has no words" in the wake of the denied appeal.
"This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey," she said. "To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country."
Chiles wrote that she will "never wave" from her values, including her commitment to always "competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship and the rules that dictate fairness."
"I have taken pride in cheering on everyone regardless of team or country," she continued. "Finding joy again has been a culture shift and I love seeing others embrace it. If eel like I have given everyone permission to be authentic to who they are.
"I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career. Believe me when I say I have had many," she concluded. "I will approach this challenge as I have others—and I will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing."
On Saturday, Aug. 10, five days after Chiles placed third in the women's final floor competition, the International Olympic Committee (IO) announced that a judge from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) determined she was incorrectly awarded the bronze medal.
Initially, Chiles finished fifth in the competition with a score of 13.666, NBC reports. Shortly after, Chiles' coach "filed an inquiry into the calculation of her difficulty score," according to the news outlet, which was ultimately accepted and increased Chiles' score to 13.766, which bumped her up to third place to secure the bronze.
Two Romanian gymnasts—Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Manexa-Voinea—argued Chiles had filed the inquiry too late, and therefore should not have been bumped up to third place. The CAS judge agreed, and Chiles was ultimately stripped of her third place finish.
In a statement provided to NBC, the IOC said the organization is "in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal."
After the CAS judge's decision, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) appealed, citing video evidence that proved Chiles' inquiry was filed in the allotted time.
Ultimately, that appeal was denied.
"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 organization announced in a written statement shared on social media.
"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," the statement continued.
Fellow gymnasts, fans, and Olympics aficionados have all come to Chiles' defense, including one easy-to-assume unlikely supporter, rapper Flavor Flav. The enthusiastic spectator made Chiles a custom bronze clock, in honor of her accomplishments and after she lost her bronze medal.
"USA gonna Fight the Powers that be,,, in the meantime between time,,,Imma always a man of my word @ChilesJordan," the Olympics fan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a video of the custom necklace in all its sparkling, breathtaking bronze glory.
