USA Gymnastics submits video evidence after Jordan Chiles is stripped of Olympic medal
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu/Jamie Squire/Getty Images
USA Gymnastics has claimed that new video evidence could change Jordan Chiles' fate at the Olympics once more.
On August 5, Chiles bagged third place in the women's floor final behind teammate Simone Biles, who took home the silver medal.
It was Brazil's Rebeca Andrade who won the gold.
Romania's Ana Bărbosu and Sabrina Voinea both lost out to Chiles after Team USA requested an appeal of the US gymnast's difficulty score during the competition.
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The judges later decided to increase Chiles points which elevated her to the podium position.
The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee were seemingly not happy with the decision and decided to launch an appeal.
The sport's governing was ultimately successful with its appeal as Chiles was recently stripped of her bronze medal.
This was thanks in part to a letter which read: "With respect to Olympic values, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee forwards this address, by which it respectfully requests you to order the re-analysis [of] the decision making factors of the case of the Romanian athlete Sabrina Maneca Voinea regarding the score given to the execution of the exercise in the floor final, contested on Monday, August 5, 2024."
It continued: "We make this request based on the care that the International Olympic Committee and the entire world sports movement gives to the athlete.
"The way of assessing the score awarded and the refusal to fully present the reasons/evidence for the rejection of the appeal submitted within the deadline provided by the regulation brings serious damage both to the image of international gymnastics but especially affects the athlete, endangering his mental health."
Chiles' score was ultimately reserved because the initial appeal by the Team US was apparently done four seconds outside of the one-minute window complaints need to be made.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport revealed the appeal was 'without effect' and ordered Chiles' original score of 13.666 to be reinstated - pushing her back into fifth place.
However, the national governing body for gymnastics in the US - USA Gymnastics - has now submitted video evidence that Chiles' coach, Cecile Landi, lodged the appeal 47 seconds after the score was announced and before the one-minute appeal window came to an end.
"The time-stamped, video evidence submitted by USA Gymnastics Sunday evening shows Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted," USA Gymnastics said in a statement.
"The video footage provided was not available to USA Gymnastics prior to the tribunal’s decision and thus USAG did not have the opportunity to previously submit it."