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Jordan Chiles has announced that he will be taking a break from social media.
The U.S. gymnast had won two medals during her time in Paris: a team gold with Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera, and a bronze medal in the individual floor exercise. Chiles had placed fifth after completing her routine until her coach made an inquiry about her score, which raised it enough to earn her a spot on the podium alongside Biles and Brazil's Rebeca Andrade.
However, the Romanian team appealed the decision after it was handed down, hoping to reinstate Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea's original scores.
Shortly afterwards, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Facebook that he would not attend the Olympic closing ceremony until the results were reviewed.
“I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, following the scandalous situation in gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner,” she wrote at the time.
“Removing a medal earned through honest work based on an appeal that neither the coaches nor the senior technicians understand is totally unacceptable!”
On Saturday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport declared null and void the investigation filed by the Chilean coach because it was outside the one-minute time limit allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation.
The federation will determine the final classification of the three gymnasts in question and “assign the medal(s) in accordance with the previous decision,” according to the panel.
Following the announcement of the decision, Chiles posted a black screen and several broken heart emojis on her Instagram story.
In a joint statement, USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said they were “devastated” by the ruling.
“The investigation into the difficulty value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was submitted in good faith and, we believe, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” the statement said.
“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subjected to constant, completely unfounded and extremely hurtful attacks on social media. No athlete should be subjected to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who participate in, support or abet them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the court, and we continue to support her.”
Chiles went on to post on her Instagram story a second time, also with a black screen as the caption read: “I'm taking this time and stepping away from social media for my mental health thank you.”
Before the ruling, the gymnast's mother, Gina Chiles, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to Addressing any negative reactions His daughter was receiving at the time.
“The racist and disgusting comments are still happening in 2024. I’m tired of people saying she doesn’t exist anymore. My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with a huge heart and unmatched level of sportsmanship… and she’s being called disgusting things,” she wrote.
