FIG President Makes Incriminating Admission About Jordan Chiles Controversy

After details were revealed from the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling on Jordan Chiles’ bronze-medal appeal, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) found itself with plenty of explaining to do.

The 29-page document exposed some flaws with the way the FIG conducts business, namely its lack of protocol for monitoring the length of time for score inquiries. FIG was also found to not know which of Chiles’ coaches submitted her score inquiry in Paris, casting some doubt on the way the organization has been running things.

In light of the hot water FIG found itself in, president Morinari Watanabe released a statement on the controversy that led to Chiles’s score inquiry being nullified, causing her to subsequently lose her bronze medal.

“This tragedy must never happen again,” Watanabe said in the August issue of the 265 Fig bulletin. “Since I became FIG president, I have been promoting the use of technology in judging. Unfortunately, this tragedy happened. The use of technology in sport is now taken for granted and the FIG used to be at the forefront of introducing technology in all international federations. But now we are no longer a pioneer.

“This is because we are not able to break our own traditions. We need change. We need challenges. And we need the courage to move forward. It was the lack of courage to take that step forward that led to the tragedy in Paris. What can we do to prevent the same tragedy from happening again? It is up to us to have the courage to change.”

While Watanabe's admission of FIG’s resistance to incorporate modern technology to ensure scoring issues like the one that cost Chiles her medal and taking accountability is a step in the right direction, it still doesn’t undo the damage that has already been done.

Many, including former Team USA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, have been vocal recently about the many changes that need to happen with the International Gymnastics Federation, including more transparency when it comes to controversial incidents such as this one.

Watanabe didn’t mention if anything would be done regarding Chiles getting her bronze medal back, but the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is currently appealing her case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which has the power to overturn any CAS ruling.

Related: Gymnastics Legend Aly Raisman Raises Suspicions About Jordan Chiles’ Score Inquiry

Related: Jordan Chiles Sends a Clear Message to IOC About Returning Bronze Medal