Gymnastics Legend Nadia Comaneci Expressed Frustration Over Jordan Chiles Controversy

Romanian gymnastics icon Nadia Comaneci is clearly not happy with everything that's happening regarding the Jordan Chiles controversy at the 2024 Olympics.

Chiles has been stripped of her bronze medal in the floor exercise final of the Olympics due to a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Instead, Romania's Ana Barbosu has been restored as the third-place winner.

The USA Gymnastics star has been asked to return her medal as a result, igniting plenty of criticisms towards the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the CAS.

On Thursday, Comaneci took to her Instagram Stories to express her frustration over the situation. While the five-time Olympic gold medalist didn't say anything, she shared a couple of posts that were critical of the Chiles controversy.

One of the posts Comaneci shared was from an account named Inside Gym calling out the CAS for the decision and how all parties handled the issue.

"Somebody needs to make this right. Acknowledging the injustice is not enough," Inside Gym wrote. "CAS Report says it is not in a position to 'apply equitable principles,' otherwise it would have. This process is infuriating and the athletes deserve better. Way better."

The post was accompanied by a statement from the CAS saying that the organization "would surely have attributed a bronze medal to all three gymnasts" had they been "a position to apply equitable principles."

In another post, Comaneci highlighted a message from former Romanian gymnast and Olympian Cristina Bontas, who won a bronze medal in the floor exercise final of the 1992 Olympics. Bontas was actually in a three-way tie with Shannon Miller of the USA and Tatiana Gutsu of the then Soviet Union, and they all shared the third place at the time.

Bontas argued that the judges, like what happened in 1992, could have decided to give all three gymnasts a bronze medal.

"What's wrong with this picture?!?! Maybe it was controversial at the time too but in the end it was in the judges power to decide," Bontas wrote.

Nadia Comaneci's show of frustration comes after Jordan Chiles released a statement expressing her heartbreak over the "unjust" turn of events.

For those not in the know, Chiles initially placed fifth after scoring 13.666 in the floor exercise final. Ana Barbosu was third with 13.700, while fellow Romanian Sabrina Voinea also tallied 13.700 but fell to fourth due to a tie-breaker (higher difficulty score).

Chiles' coach, Cecile Landi, challenged the gymnast's execution score, however. Following a brief inquiry, the judges agreed to give Chiles an extra 0.10 point, thereby bumping her score from 13.666 to 13.766 to surpass both Barbosu and Voinea for the bronze medal.

The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee then filed an appeal over the scoring issue, and the CAS did find out that Landi's challenge came four seconds past the one-minute deadline. The CAS then ruled to void Chiles' additional point and restore the original standings.

The International Gymnastics Federation then followed the CAS ruling and restored the initial scores, making Barbosu the rightful third-place winner. The International Olympic Committee, in accordance to the decisions made, then demanded Chiles to give her bronze medal back.

Barbosu is now set to get her bronze medal on Friday, though it's uncertain if Chiles has given back hers and if it would be the same medal to be handed to the Romanian star.

USA Gymnastics is still fighting to give Chiles the honor she deserves, though. The CAS has already denied its initial appeal despite claiming to have new evidence that would prove Landi's challenge came within the allotted time. According to the CAS, they can no longer reopen a case where a final ruling has been made.

Now, USA Gymnastics is set to take the issue to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. It is the highest court in Switzerland, which can take appeals from the rulings made by arbitral tribunals such as the CAS.

Related: International Olympic Committee Facing Intense Backlash After Asking Jordan Chiles To Return Medal