Simone Biles Shares Support for Jordan Chiles amid Bronze Medal Scoring Controversy: ‘Keep Your Chin Up’
Chiles may be at risk of losing her Olympic bronze medal after the supervising athletic committee ruled in favor of two Romanian gymnasts who said that Chiles had been scored correctly
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Chiles and Biles celebrate after the Floor Final." fifu-data-src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/KxZA1n6jiX9F2ej3_88IIA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/aa27b8925cfda9d28f2d00648b709cb9">
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Chiles and Biles celebrate after the Floor Final.
Simone Biles is sharing her support for her fellow Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles amid a scoring controversy that could cost her the bronze medal.
On Saturday, Aug. 10 — the same day that for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of two Romanian gymnasts who appealed the body’s decision to give Chiles a higher difficulty score — Biles, 27, shared an Instagram Stories post in support of Chiles, 23.
“Sending you so much love Jordan,” Biles wrote, alongside a photo of the two gymnasts hugging at a competition. “Keep your chin up Olympic champ! We love you!”
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Jordan Chiles (left) holds hands with Simone Biles as she waits for her score after competing in the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Floor Exercise Final.
Related: Jordan Chiles May Lose Her Olympic Bronze Medal After Judges Rule to Reinstate Her Previous Score
PEOPLE previously reported that following the women’s floor final event, Chiles initially finished fifth based on the judges’ scoring. Soon after, her coach quickly submitted an inquiry into the decision, arguing that Chiles’ difficulty score had been too low after she performed a split midair while turning 540 degrees.
Judges from the CAS agreed with the coach and updated Chiles’ score, which moved her up to third place overall, ahead of Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu — who had initially won bronze — and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.
The Romanian Olympic committee contested the decision, and on Saturday, the CAS decided to reinstate Chiles’ original score of 13.666. She returned to fifth place, and both Romanian gymnasts finished with scores of 13.700.
USA Gymnastics previously told PEOPLE in an email that the organization was extremely disappointed with the reversal of the ruling.
“We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise. The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” the organization wrote.
USA Gymnastics added that Chiles has been on the receiving end of tons of hateful messages since the floor final, and called for an end to the attacks against her.
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Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles of Team United States pose with their Paris 2024 Olympic medals.
Related: Why Is There Controversy Over Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal Win? Unpacking the Cheating Allegations
“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media,” USA Gymnastics wrote to PEOPLE. “No athlete should be subject to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her.”
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On Friday, Aug. 9, Jordan’s mom, Gina Chiles, also called out those accusing her daughter of cheating, writing in a social media post that many of the criticisms aimed at Jordan were racist and “disgusting.”
“The racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024. I’m tired of people who say it no longer exists,” Gina wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched…and she’s being called disgusting things,” she added.
Jordan herself also briefly chimed in on the controversy, writing on her Instagram Stories that she was going to be taking time off social media after the ruling was reversed.
“I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you,” she wrote.
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