The Jordan Chiles situation at the Paris Olympics has attracted a lot of debate and caused a huge uproar in the months post-the competition. The gymnast was awarded the bronze medal on the floor exercise after an appeal from Team US. However, it was later stripped off her after the judges found out that the appeal was not made on time.

Since then, Jordan Chiles has refused to return her bronze medal, despite Romania’s Ana Barbosu officially receiving hers, and has continued to fight for her place on the podium. Now, it appears that Chiles has found support in an unexpected source: the former FIG Press Officer, who indirectly addressed the ongoing issue in a recent interview.

In the interview, he was asked about the changes he would like to see in the future of gymnastics. Phillipe Sillaci provided some intriguing criticisms of the sport, stating that coaches should focus on making gymnasts’ movements more artistic rather than purely acrobatic to honor the spirit of gymnastics. However, what really caught fans’ attention was his critique of the sport’s refereeing standards.

He said, “One of the main issues we have to take care of today is the quality of the judging, the development, and the future of the artistry in the different kinds of disciplines.” The judging part of this statement might have been referring to the Jordan Chiles situation. The whole fiasco could have been avoided with more competent judging during the event. This sentiment has been shared by numerous other athletes when they have talked about the event.

After Jordan’s medal was taken back, she put out a statement on Instagram expressing her sadness. Suni Lee replied to this story, criticising the judges. “All this talk about the athlete; what about the judges?” she wrote. Four-time Olympic medalist Dominique Dawes also blamed the judges for the whole thing. Talking to TMZ Sports, she said, “The judges missed a dance element that should have brought her score up by one-tenth of a point. They missed it.”

This is why Jordan’s coach later appealed to the judges regarding the score, resulting in points being awarded before being reverted back to the original. Dominique argued that if the judges had initially awarded the gymnast the points she deserved, the situation would not have escalated.

Thus, much of the blame can be placed on their shoulders, and Jordan Chiles became an unfortunate victim of this situation. However, with no updates for quite some time, it seems everyone involved is moving on—including Jordan, who has made her future plans clear.

Jordan Chiles outlines career plans after Paris Olympics controversy

Despite being in the middle of a controversy, Jordan Chiles became a part of Simone Biles’ Gold Over America tour, which went to over 30 cities to put on a pop concert-like performance. Now that the tour is coming to an end, Jordan has already made plans about her future in gymnastics.

The Olympic gold medalist has declared her intention to return to UCLA for the upcoming NCAA season. She uploaded a post on Instagram announcing this decision and then captioned it, saying, “Y’all ain’t ready.” She will thus be looking to start the next chapter of her career on December 14th with the ‘Meet the Bruins’ interactive event before diving headfirst into the college season. This was incredible news for the UCLA Bruins, as Jordan Chiles has a brilliant NCAA record.

In 2022, she scored 432.775 points, making her the highest scorer in the competition. The gymnast also earned three perfect tens during her time there. As a result, everyone at the college now expects her to replicate her success in the upcoming season and lead the Bruins to the NCAA title. If she succeeds, it will add another feather to her already storied career.