The stripping of Jordan Chiles' Paris Olympics bronze medal after a court's decision overturned her score inquiry continues to draw strong reactions from those within the American gymnastics community.
On Friday in Romania, gymnast Ana Barbosu was officially awarded the bronze medal for her performance in the Olympic individual floor routine competition at a ceremony. Barbosu initially was in third place at the end of the competition, but an inquiry submitted by Chiles' coach led to a bump in her score, which brought her from fifth to third in the final standings.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport voided the inquiry from Chiles' coach, saying it came in after the deadline to submit such an inquiry. The United States Olympic Committee appealed but were told the court could not reconsider any new evidence on the inquiry.
Aly Raisman, a six-time Olympic medalist for the U.S., joined The Today Show on Friday and spoke about her reaction to Chiles being the first Olympian to be stripped of their medal for an administrative error as opposed to cheating or lying about age.
"I'm just so devastated for Jordan," Raisman said on the show. "This is so unfair and I really can't even imagine and truly believe what she is going through. This completely goes against the integrity of the sport, the integrity of the Olympics. This isn't what the Olympic Games is supposed to be about. I am so disappointed."
Chiles finally broke her silence on the decision Thursday, releasing a statement thanking her supporters and expressing her sadness over losing her bronze medal.
"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," a portion of Chiles' statement read.
The dispute over such minute details sets up what could be a months- or years-long legal battle over the gymnastics scores.
Chiles still has her gold medal from the Paris Olympics that she earned as part of Team USA's win in the team competition.
