While people in Romania celebrate their latest bronze in women’s gymnastics at the Paris Olympics, devastation has struck Vancouver, Washington. 23-year-old Jordan Chiles has been directed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to return her bronze medal in the women’s individual floor routine, which will now be awarded to Romania’s 18-year-old first-time Olympian Ana Barbosu. Justifiably, the Chiles camp isn’t taking things lightly.

Jordan’s sister Jazmin has taken to social media to lash out at the decision that has brought misery to the former. “Her bronze was stripped over 4 seconds of time,” vented the gymnast’s sibling in her Instagram story, claiming that a much sinister conspiracy is behind the verdict. At the Parisian tournament, Jordan was initially scored 13.666. However, after an inquiry that argued that the judges had missed scoring one of Chiles’ moves, the Gogean, a split leap with a 1.5-turn, her score was adjusted to 13.766, securing her a place on the podium.

However, the CAS has argued that Jordan’s appeal was beyond the designated time period by four seconds, which made accepting the same a mistake in the first place. Naturally, Jazmin is fuming. “Not because she didn’t win, not because she was drugged, not because she stepped out of bounds. Not because she wasn’t good enough. But because the judges failed to give her difficulty and forced an inquiry to be made,” Jazmin blurted out in her IG story, evidently enraged at the misfortune that has befallen her sister.

While her anger isn’t misplaced, Jazmin has made it clear that no matter what, she will always support her own in a situation like this. “I got yo back no matter what,” she assured. In another story, Jordan’s sister went on to note how frustrating the entire fiasco feels to the Chiles family right now. Underscoring how absurd the whole thing is, she draws attention to the fact that Jordan neither cheated nor used any performance enhancers that could make the verdict justified.

However, with the latest decision, Jordan will once again be ranked fifth in the event, standing behind Romania’s Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. The CAS stated that Jordan’s fate should be decided by the federation “in accordance with the above decision” to conclude which of these gymnasts will be given the medal. Whatever it may be, it’s only justifiable if Chiles feels a little demotivated right now.

Jordan Chiles is trying to find solace in her own cocoon

In her own Insta story, Jordan has stated that she will be taking a hiatus to get away from the debate that’s engulfed all virtual spaces of her life. “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you,” wrote the UCLA Bruins star, with her pain almost visible in her words. The iconic Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci also asserted that such a tug of war about an athlete’s fate can impact their mental well-being significantly, and urged for all three to be awarded the bronze to laud their efforts at the French capital. After the FIG confirmed the CAS’s decision, Jazmin also seemed to have had enough of the dilemma. “Just give the other girls a bronze and leave it at that!” she urged.

The USA’s apex gymnastics body also wrote on social media that it feels “devastating” to learn the CAS’s ruling. “The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” USA Gymnastics wrote on X. Jordan’s mother Gina is also isn’t having any of the shades that are being thrown on her Olympian daughter. “My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched. And she’s being called disgusting things,” alleged the sorrowful mother.

How do you think the situation should have been addressed by those concerned? Share your take on the drama with us below!