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Aly Raisman is the latest person to speak out about Team USA's Jordan Chiles' request to return her bronze medal after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
During an appearance on Today On August 12, former Olympic gymnast Raisman explained how badly she felt for Chiles amid the bronze medal controversy. “This is so heartbreaking and I am so heartbroken for Jordan. I can’t even imagine what this last week has been like for Jordan and the other athletes involved,” she said.
Chiles initially placed fifth after completing her gymnastics floor routine on Aug. 5, until her coach filed an inquiry into her score, boosting it enough to earn her a spot on the podium alongside Biles and Brazil's Rebeca Andrade. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the inquiry appeal because it was submitted four seconds outside the one-minute window allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
The CAS decision left Romanians Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea in third and fourth place, respectively, while the Chileans fell back to fifth place. However, they left the final decision on classification in the hands of the FIG, which determined that it was up to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to decide who would be the winner of the bronze medal.
On August 11, the IOC officially confirmed the decision to strip Chiles of the medal and award it to Barbosu. In a statement, the committee said: “The IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu (Romania). We are in contact with the Romanian NOC to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with the USOPC about the return of the bronze medal.”
Talking with TodayRaisman called the IOC’s decision “very unfair” and called on the committee to award Chile the bronze medal. “I think it’s very unfair. It’s very cruel,” said the former U.S. athlete. “I don’t think Jordan should give back his medal. The IOC has awarded more than one medal before and I think they should do it now.”
The gymnast said the problem first arose due to an error within the judging panel and claimed there should be a different solution that does not affect female athletes.
“It’s unfair, I can’t even believe we’re in this situation,” Raisman said. “As athletes, we trust the process. We trust that the rules are in place, that a lot of thought has gone into them, and that the rules are there to be fair. Going forward, we need to understand how this is happening and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
She continued: “I think the organisations that are in charge of this need to really look at the mental health of the athletes and how much this is affecting them, and how cruel it is to take a medal away from someone.”
Raisman wasn’t the only person to speak out about Chiles’ medal controversy, as fellow Team USA gymnasts Simone Biles and Suni Lee shared their support for Chiles. Lee took to her Instagram Story to share her disappointment with the Olympic judges, writing, “All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges? It’s completely unacceptable. This is horrible and I’m heartbroken for Jordan.”
“I'll have your back forever, Jo,” he added.[You] “Have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an Olympic champion.”
Meanwhile, Biles shared an Instagram post of the two gymnasts hugging each other. “Sending you so much love, Jordan,” she wrote. “Keep your chin up, Olympic champion! We love you!”
Following the CAS ruling, Chiles took to Instagram to announce that she would be taking a break from social media “for my mental health.”
