Suni Lee fumes over Jordan Chiles Paris Olympics controversy as bombshell ruling strips USA teammate of bronze medal
American gymnast Suni Lee has spoken out about the decision to strip her teammate Jordan Chiles of her Olympic bronze medal, criticizing the judges for allowing an “unacceptable” debacle to occur.
Chiles was stripped of her bronze medal less than a week after she dramatically topped the podium in the women’s floor final following recent controversy.
The 23-year-old was the last athlete to compete and after initially scoring 13.666, which placed her in fifth place, her score was increased by 0.1 following an appeal by the US and she was awarded a medal at the expense of Romania’s Ana Barbosu.
Amid outrage in Romania over the decision, the International Olympic Committee announced Sunday morning that it would re-award the bronze to Barbosu.After the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the appeal against the score, Chiles rose to third place.
Suni Lee has spoken out about the decision to strip Jordan Chiles of her Olympic bronze medal
It is a huge blow for the American youngster, who burst into tears after winning her first individual Olympic medal.
And after her teammate was ordered to give back her bronze, Lee — who teamed with Chiles to win gold in the team final and individual bronze on the all-around and uneven bars — reacted angrily on Instagram about the decision.
She shared a statement from the US condemning the CAS ruling, writing on her story: ‘All this talk about the athlete, what about the jury? Completely unacceptable, this is horrible and I feel terrible for Jordan.’
‘I will always lean on you, you have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an Olympic champion.’
Simone Biles also voiced her support for Chiles during the dispute over her bronze medal on the floor exercise.
Biles, who cemented her legacy as the most decorated American gymnast of all time in Paris, responded to the controversy by writing on Instagram, “Sending you lots of love Jordan. Keep your chin up, Olympic champion! We love you!”
On Sunday morning, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed it will re-award Chiles’ bronze medal to Barbosu, after the Supreme Court overturned an appeal by U.S. coach Cecile Landi.
Lee criticised the jury for allowing an ‘unacceptable’ debacle to take place in Paris
Chiles is forced to return her bronze medal, which she won in the floor final
She was in tears after an appeal from the US saw her score increased, moving her into the medal positions
A few hours later, the USOPC released a statement expressing their belief that “Chiles rightfully earned the bronze medal.”
“There were critical errors in both the initial assessment by the Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeals process that needed to be addressed,” they wrote.
“The first error occurred in FIG’s review, and the second error occurred during the CAS appeals process, where the USOPC was not given sufficient time or notice to effectively challenge the decision. As a result, we were not properly represented or given the opportunity to present our case comprehensively.”
“Given these circumstances, we are committed to filing an appeal to ensure Jordan Chiles receives the recognition she deserves,” the statement continued. “We remain committed to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter promptly and fairly.”