Jordan Chiles has broken her silence on the “devastation” of losing her Olympic bronze medal and the vile “racially motivated attacks” that followed in the dramatic fallout.
The gymnast initially finished fifth on the floor exercise in Paris, before the United States appealed the decision and her score increased enough to overtake Romania’s Ana Barbosu for third place.
But then, in a surprising ruling, the Court of Arbitration For Sport said the referees were wrong to allow the change because the American appeal came outside the one-minute time limit allowed.
This meant that the 23-year-old was relegated back to fifth place. Chiles initially announced that she was stepping away from social media “for my mental health.”
But on Thursday, she posted a statement on Instagram criticizing the “unfair” decision and attacking those who have abused her.
Team USA star Jordan Chiles lost her Olympic bronze medal in the floor exercise
Ana Barbosu is expected to receive the bronze she snatched from Chile in Romania this week
“I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of 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,” Chiles wrote.
‘While celebrating my Olympic achievements, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped from me. I relied on the appeal filed by USAG, which presented conclusive evidence that my score complied with all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.
‘I have no words. This decision seems unfair to me and is a hard blow, not only for me, but for all those who have supported me on my journey.
“To make matters worse, the spontaneous racist attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I have put my heart and soul into this sport and I am very proud to represent my culture and my country.”
The case took a new turn on Wednesday, when the CAS criticized “scandalous statements” about an alleged conflict of interest involving his panel.
Hamid G. Gharavi chaired the panel that decided Chile’s fate and it has since emerged that Gharavi has worked with the Romanian government for about 10 years.
Chiles initially finished fifth before edging out Romania’s Barbosu on appeal.
But the court dismissed allegations of “bias” and Chiles insisted she will fight to ensure justice is done. The gymnast also remains confident that “the people in control will do the right thing.”
“I will never stray from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship and the rules that dictate fairness. I take pride in cheering on everyone, regardless of team or country,” she continued in her statement.
“Finding joy again has been a cultural shift and I love seeing others embrace it. I feel like I’ve given everyone the opportunity to be authentic to who they are.
“I am now facing one of the most difficult moments of my career. Believe me when I say I have had many. I will face this challenge as I have faced others and do everything I can to ensure justice is served. I believe at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”