Controversy at the Paris Olympics: The Case of USA Gymnast Jordan Chowes’ Individual Bronze Medal

USA gymnast Jordan Chowes must return the individual bronze medal that she won during the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics, according to the International Olympic Committee. So how did we even get here? At the women’s gymnastics floor finals, Jordan finished her routine and was given a score that put her in 5th place. However, USA gymnastics coach Cecil Landy thought her score should be higher because of the difficulty of Jordan’s routine, and she filed an inquiry for the judges to review her score. When the judges’ review was over, they agreed Jordan’s original score was incorrect. They added an additional point, which moved Jordan into 3rd place, which bumped Romania’s Ana Barboso to 4th place. However, days later, after the finals, the Court of Arbitration for Sport decided to have a hearing regarding the event because the Romanian Gymnastics Federation challenged the validity of the initial inquiry, and they ruled that the judging panel for the women’s floor exercise final made a mistake in granting an inquiry that was filed by the USA gymnastics coaches. That’s because the initial inquiry was filed 4 seconds beyond the deadline. Therefore, they are going to reverse the judges’ ruling and give Jordan Chowes her initial score, which would place her back in 5th place and Romania’s Ana Barboso would take the bronze medal. The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said that they will be appealing the Court of Arbitration for Sports decision. But for now, USA’s Jordan Chowes must return the bronze medal.