Coach Cecile Landi was the one whose inquiry led to Jordan Chiles getting her first individual bronze. However, little did she know that it would start an international incident involving every authority in the sport. However, despite the CAS refusing to re-open the case and awarding the medal to Romania’s Ana Barbosu, Team USA isn’t ready to give up.

On August 24, FIG President Morinari Watanabe spoke on the Jordan Chiles incident. While Watanabe referred to the unfortunate incident as a “tragedy” he didn’t issue a formal apology to the distressed athletes. Instead, the FIG head harped on about technology or the lack thereof that contributed to the messy incident. Yet, Cecile Landi wasn’t ready to accept the president’s statement.

“Very disappointing statement… And if @gymnastics and @iocmedia think the USA is done fighting, well they are wrong! These athletes deserve better especially after everything they have done for this sport!” Jordan Chiles’ coach posted on social media. Since Ladi’s decision to submit an inquiry during the floor exercise finals, nearly every aspect of the incident has come under scrutiny.

The twists and turns in the case started when the Court of Arbitration for Sports got involved. After widespread outrage from the Romanian government and gymnastics authorities. However, shortly after the CAS panel reinstated Ana Barbosu as the bronze medalist, it was found that Dr. Hamid G. Gharavi, the head of the panel, has represented Romain several times in the last decade.

Since then, several other discrepancies have emerged, like a web of mishaps. Before Morinari Watanabe’s statement on improving the technology, the FIG admitted to fumbling multiple steps. FIG WAG Technical Committee President Donatella Sacchi failed to verify if Cecile Landi’s inquiry request had come within the stipulated time limit. However, there’s more.

They even failed to identify the individual who recorded the information. Sacchi also failed to answer whether the OMEGA timekeeping system was used during the incident. So it is not difficult to see why Jordan Chiles’ coach took issue with Watanabe’s lack of accountability. In fact, it wasn’t just the former WCC coach who voiced her disapproval.

Jordan Chiles’ mother blasts the FIC president’s statement

Gina Chiles took to X (formerly Twitter) to write a scathing reply after the GIF published its President’s statement in the FIG Bulletin. She took a direct dig at Watanabe’s repeated use of ‘tragedy’ in the statement. “This statement is a tragedy. ChatGPT would have done you wonders here,” wrote the gymnast’s mother. Just like Cecile Landi, she also felt surprised and saddened that the President didn’t speak of the athletes.

While Ana Barbosu may have her medal back, she also suffered in the wake of the decision. Meanwhile, Jordan Chiles faced racial abuse online and severe mental distress after the CAS verdict. “Way to use the devastation this caused as a pitch for new tech. Respectfully READ THE ROOM sir.” concluded the 2x Olympic medalist’s mother.

However, as Cecile Landi mentioned in her social media post, Team USA won’t go down without a fight. The USAG and NOC refuse to accept that the new evidence in discrepancies discovered won’t be considered simply because they were discovered after the Dr. Gharavi-headed CAS panel’s verdict. They’re now in the process of approaching The Swiss Federal Tribunal. It seems that the controversy surrounding Jordan Chiles getting stripped of her Olympic medal is far from over.