Mass. Olympian Aly Raisman speaks out about Jordan Chiles medal controversy. What she said

Massachusetts native and two-time Olympian Aly Raisman isn't mincing words about the Jordan Chiles medal controversy .

The retired gymnast from Needham is speaking out after Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles was ordered to return the bronze medal she won at the Paris games on the floor exercise.

Initially taking to Twitter over the weekend, Raisman called the ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport "unacceptable and heartbreaking."

On Monday, she spoke out about the CAS ruling and the International Olympic Committee's handling of the situation in an interview on the TODAY show. Here's what she said.

Aly Raisman calls Jordan Chiles Olympics controversy 'appalling'

Needham native Aly Raisman is defending Jordan Chiles as the athlete awaits the final fate of her Olympic bronze medal.

Over the weekend, Raisman condemned the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling that an inquiry into Chiles' score in the floor exercise wasn't filed in time.

"This is so unacceptable & heartbreaking," Raisman wrote X , formerly known as Twitter. "No athlete should ever go through this. This is unfair & cruel. Athlete fairness & athlete mental health matters. Athletes should not suffer from mistakes that are out of their control. & the bullying must stop!"

On Monday, Raisman said in an interview on the TODAY show that she thinks the International Olympic Committee should award two bronze medals for the event due to the circumstances.

“I don’t think people realize these gymnasts work their entire lives for this moment, and it’s supposed to be a celebration,” Raisman said.

The 30-year-old also called on the IOC to consider the mental health of the athletes involved in the situation.

“It’s appalling, but I think that the organizations that are in charge of this need to really look at the athletes’ mental health and how much this is affecting them, and how cruel it is to take a medal away from someone,” Raisman said.

Jordan Chiles bronze medal controversy explained

Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles is garnering support as she awaits the final word on whether she will keep the bronze medal she initially won in the floor event.

Last week, in the floor final, Chiles had initially landed in fifth place after her routine. Then, when her coaches submitted an inquiry into the score saying the judges had missed scoring one skill , the judges raised her score by one tenth of a point. Her new score bumped her into third place, leading her to win the bronze in the event.

However, over the weekend, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the inquiry into Chiles' score came four seconds past the allowed review time. As a result, the IOC said Chiles would have to return her medal and it would be given to Romania's Ana Bărbosu instead.

Jordan Chiles: Jordan Chiles must return Olympic bronze, IOC rules. USOPC says it will appeal decision

On Sunday, USA Gymnastics said it would appeal the ruling and that it provided new time-stamped evidence to the CAS that showed the score inquiry was within the permitted period of review.

Who is Aly Raisman?

Aly Raisman is a two-time Olympic gymnast from Needham.

She competed in the 2012 London Olympics, where she won golds in the team and floor events, as well as bronze in the balance beam. She also won a team gold medal and two individual silver medals for the all-around and floor events at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At the 2012 games, Raisman had an experience similar to the one Jordan Chiles is going through. During the balance beam final, she initially did not medal, but after a score inquiry, she took home bronze in the event.

Raisman retired from the sport in 2020.

She also said she is close with Chiles.

“I’ve known Jordan for a really long time, and I’m so proud of who she is. I loved watching her during this Olympic Games and the way that she has just done so much,” Raisman said. “I mean, people love her and support her for good reason. She’s just an incredible person.”

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Mass. Olympian Aly Raisman speaks out about Jordan Chiles medal controversy. What she said