One Word Jordan Chiles Used To Describe Controversial Olympic Ruling Stands Out

On Thursday afternoon, U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles issued a statement following the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to strip her of her bronze medal.

Chiles, who initially placed fifth in the floor exercise final, secured her place on the podium after Team USA appealed her score. Chiles' coach, Cecile Landi, challenged her difficulty score, and the judges agreed to change it after a brief inquiry. They revised her score from 13.666 to 13.766, moving her up to third place for the bronze medal.

While Chiles and Team USA celebrated their victory, Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu was pushed from third to fourth place.

Shortly afterward, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, alleging that Team USA's challenge on Chiles' score had been filed four seconds past the one-minute deadline.

After several days of going through the appeals process, the CAS made a final ruling in favor of Barbosu and Team Romania. The court emphasized the the initial scores, which had Barbosu (13.700) at third and Chiles at fifth, be restored.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) subsequently followed the ruling. And in accordance to the FIG's decision, the IOC demanded that Chiles gives back her bronze medal.

Chiles and her team were left heartbroken. Days after the decision was made, Chiles took to social media to write a lengthy statement on the issue.

Included in her post, Chiles described the entire decision as "unjust" because her medal was taken away due to a minor technical rule rather than her performance itself.

"I have no words," Chiles stated. "This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey."

Moving forward will certainly be challenging for Jordan Chiles, but she insists that her fight is not over.

For what it's worth, USA Gymnastics said that it plans to take the case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, the highest court in Switzerland. The said court can take appeals from the rulings made by arbitral tribunals such as the CAS.