Team USA star Jordan Chiles has spoken out against the decision to lose her Olympic bronze medal, insisting she has "no words".
Following the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, the International Gymnastics Federation (Fig) upgraded Romania's Ana Barbosu from fourth to third in the women's floor final. The decision came after a controversial CAS ruling upheld an appeal by the Romanian Olympic Committee, which claimed a challenge submitted by the US team over Chiles' score fell outside the one-minute limit.
As a result, Chiles' score was controversially disregarded . USA Gymnastics attempted to have CAS reconsider its decision, but it was denied on Monday. Chiles has now released a statement outlining her disappointment.
"I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days. I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG, and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time. While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.
"I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey. To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I've poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.
"I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship and the rules that dictate fairness. I have taken pride in cheering on everyone regardless of team or country. Finding joy again has been a culture shift and I love seeing others embrace it. I feel like I have given everyone permission to be authentic to who they are.
"I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career. Believe me when I say I have had many. I will approach this challenge as I have others - and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing."
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The women's floor final took place on 5 August, with both Simone Biles and Chiles creating an immortal Olympic moment by bowing to Andrade as she stood atop the podium. However, Romania appealed the CAS decision the following day.
USA Gymnastics insisted it did not become aware of the case until 9 August, which the body claims was "two days past the deadline to submit objections related to panellists, and less than 24 hours before the hearing”. But on Wednesday, CAS published its reasoning to not reconsider the ruling against Chiles.
"The CAS condemns the outrageous statements published in certain US media alleging that the panel, and more particularly its chairman, was biased due to other professional engagements or for reasons of nationality," the statement read. "As none of the parties involved in this case has challenged any panel member during the procedure, it can reasonably be assumed that all parties were satisfied to have their case heard by this panel. Any subsequent criticism is without foundation or merit."
USA Gymnastics responded by saying it "strongly disagrees" with CAS decision. The body has declared its intent to "pursue these and other matters upon appeal" and continue to "seek justice for Jordan Chiles".
In the wake of the decision, USA Gymnastics icon Biles joined a number of high-profile stars in expressing support for Chiles. Chiles previously won gold in the all-around team event before the medal controversy.
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