Jordan Chiles Has ‘No Plans’ Of Returning Olympic Medal Despite Decision

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has demanded Jordan Chiles to return the bronze medal she got from the floor exercise final of the 2024 Olympics. By the looks of it, however, the US gymnast has yet to comply with the order.

According to Christine Brennan of USA Today in an Aug. 15 report, her anonymous sources confirmed that Chiles is still in possession of her bronze medal. Furthermore, the 23-year-old gymnast apparently has "no plans" of returning the medal as US officials continue to fight the ruling.

USA Gymnastics is expected to appeal the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. It is the highest court in Switzerland, and it can take appeals on rulings made by tribunals such as the CAS.

"American Jordan Chiles is in the United States and still has possession of the bronze medal that was awarded to her in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics, two people with knowledge of the situation who did not want to be identified have told USA TODAY Sports," Brennan wrote.

Jordan Chiles won bronze in the floor exercise final of the Olympics in quite the controversial fashion. She initially placed fifth with a score of 13.666, while Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Voinea finished third and fourth, respectively, with a similar score of 13.700. Barbosu had the edge due to a tie-breaker (higher difficulty score).

However, Chiles moved up to third after her coach, Cecile Landi, challenged her difficulty score. After a brief inquiry, the judges agreed to give the American star an additional 0.10 point. It increased Chiles' score to 13.766, surpassing both Barbosu and Voinea.

The Romanian Olympic and Sport Committee, nonetheless, appealed to the CAS to review the turn of events. The court then found that Landi's challenge came four seconds after the one-minute deadline. With that said, the CAS ruled that the additional score for Chiles should be voided and the original standing should be restored.

The International Gymnastics Federation followed the ruling and restored the final ranking, putting Barbosu back to third, Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth. The IOC, which is responsible for the allocation of medals, then demanded that Chiles return her medal.

USA Gymnastics tried to appeal the ruling to the CAS, claiming that they have evidence to prove that Landi's challenge came within the deadline. Unfortunately, the court said they could no longer reopen a case once a final ruling has been made.

For what it's worth, Brennan's report came a day before the Romanian Olympic and Sport Committee held a ceremony in Bucharest for Barbosu to receive her bronze medal . Considering that Chiles still has her medal, it's safe to assume that the IOC provided a new one for Barbosu.

It remains to be seen if the IOC will continue to force Chiles to return her medal. But since USA Gymnastics is still trying to fight for Chiles' place at the Olympics, the saga is not expected to end any time soon.

Related: Gymnastics Legend Nadia Comaneci Expressed Frustration Over Jordan Chiles Controversy