USA Gymnastics is fighting to help Jordan Chiles defend her bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise.
The organization said in a statement Sunday evening that it had obtained new video evidence that challenges the International Olympic Committee’s decision Sunday to strip Chile of its bronze medal and award it instead to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbos.
USA Gymnastics has formally submitted a letter requesting that Chiles’ score of 13.766, which was enough to win her the bronze medal in the floor exercise final, be reinstated.
“USA Gymnastics submitted time-stamped video evidence that shows Lundy’s first request for an investigation at the investigation table occurred 47 seconds after the scores were announced, and then a second time 55 seconds after the scores were first announced,” the organization said in a statement. “The submitted video footage was not available to USA Gymnastics prior to the adjudication committee’s decision, and therefore USAG did not have an opportunity to submit it in advance.”
The controversy over the bronze medal began the day after the tournament when the Romanian Gymnastics Federation filed a protest with the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over allegations made by Chilean coach Cecile Landi.
Shortly after Chiles received points for her floor exercise, Lundy appealed to the judges, believing Chiles’ difficulty score was too low. The appeal was successful, raising Chiles’ score from 13.666 (5th place) to 13.766 (3rd place).
But an arbitration panel ruled Saturday that Lundy’s protest occurred 64 seconds after her routine ended — four seconds beyond the one-minute limit. USA Gymnastics now allegedly has video evidence that overturns the ruling, saying Lundy actually protested 47 seconds after the scores were posted.
In addition to USA Gymnastics coming to Chile’s defense, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee also announced that it plans to appeal the Chile ruling.
“The USOPC will appeal the recent decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding Jordan Chile,” the organization said in a statement Sunday. “We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully won his bronze medal. There were significant errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that must be addressed.”
