Former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman is coming to the defense of her fellow American Jordan Chiles after she was stripped of her bronze medal in the floor exercise at the Paris games.

As a reminder, Chiles, and Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca Voinea were all competing in the floor exercise final at the Paris games.

After Chiles score came in fifth – behind Barbosu and Voinea respectively – the Americans appealed and her score was raised up to third place, winning her a bronze medal.

But a ruling days later from the Court of Arbitration for Sport found that the Americans did not get their appeal in under the specified time – returning the bronze medal to Barbosu.

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Raisman disagreed with the decision of the court and expressed sympathy for Chiles.

‘I am so devastated for her,’ Raisman, who competed for the United States in the London and Rio Olympics, said. ‘I hope that things change and she gets to keep her medal because it’s not right.
It’s so disappointing to me because I feel like it goes against the integrity of the sport and of the Olympics.’

Raisman continued, saying, ‘Jordan deserves answers as to what evidence the Court of Arbitration for Sport has. It’s very confusing to me. It makes no sense. I don’t think Jordan should give her medal back.’

According to the CAS, the Americans’ appeal was clocked at one minute and four seconds – greater than the specified window of one minute.

However, USA Gymnastics says they have evidence to back up their claim that the appeal was lodged within the time limit at 47 seconds.

Raisman believes her home country’s claim and says that there are measures in place to prevent late appeals.

‘There’s a designated trained official. It’s their job to keep the time,’ she explained. ‘They are not allowed to accept the inquiry if it’s not under that minute window. They accepted the inquiry, which means that the person who’s trained to do that, they saw it was under a minute.’

Raisman continued, ‘From there, the judges admitted they made a mistake with the score and raised the score. I think it’s really unfair. It’s unacceptable to me.’

USA Gymnastics has declared their intent to pursue ‘every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal’.

This controversial decision has taken on a life of its own – even far after the Games have ended – with Chiles slamming the ‘unjust’ decision and a series of ‘racially-driven attacks’ which have followed.

‘I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days. I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time,’ Chiles wrote.

‘While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.

‘I have no words. This decisions feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey.

‘To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.’
CAS dismissed accusations of ‘bias’ and Chiles insisted she would fight to ensure that justice is done. The gymnast also said she was confident that ‘the people in control will do the right thing’.

‘I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship, and the rules that dictate fairness. I have taken pride in cheering on everyone regardless of team or country,’ her statement continued.

‘Finding joy again has been a culture shift and I love seeing others embrace it. I feel like I have given everyone to be authentic to who they are.
‘I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career. Believe when I say I have had many. I will approach this challenge as I have others – and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.’

(Armani)