A wave of controversy has surrounded U.S. women's gymnast Jordan Chiles after her floor routine score at the 2024 Olympics was adjusted, only to face a subsequent challenge. Initially, Chiles received a score of 13.666, placing her fifth. However, her coach, Cecile Landi, appealed the difficulty score, arguing it was too low. The appeal was successful, and Chiles's score was raised to 13.766, securing her a bronze medal.
The situation took a turn when the Romanian Federation of Gymnastics filed a protest with the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), claiming that Landi's appeal exceeded the one-minute time limit allowed for such challenges. An arbitral panel upheld the protest, ruling that Landi made the appeal 64 seconds after the routine, four seconds beyond the time limit.
In response, USA Gymnastics formally requested the reinstatement of Chiles's bronze medal score, presenting time-stamped video evidence showing that Landi initiated the appeal 47 seconds after the score was posted, well within the allowed timeframe. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has also announced plans to support USA Gymnastics in appealing the ruling.
As the gymnastics world waits to see whether Jordan Chiles's bronze medal will be restored, the question remains: Will justice prevail or has it already?