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Just days after gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci criticized judges in Paris for a score change that gave Jordan Chiles a medal, she is now coming to Chiles' defense.
A controversial reversal of the score change from the women's floor exercise final was announced on Saturday, which could ultimately lead to Chiles being stripped of her bronze medal – one that was given to her after judges increased her score and denied a medal that was initially to go to Romania's Ana Barbosu.
Chiles announced in an Instagram Stories that she would be stepping away from social media for her mental health. Her comment sections across social media have since been flooded by messages of support from fans, but also a flood of insults from others.
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Jordan Chiles stands in the podium during the Pan Am Games on Oct. 23, 2023, in Santiago, Chile. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Comaneci begged people across the world to stop attacking the gymnasts at this year's Olympics, using hashtags to tag both Barbosu and Chiles in a post on X on Saturday.
"To all the fans around the world please STOP attacking these young ladies... it is unacceptable and cruel," Comaneci wrote.
However, Comaneci's plea was in response to her own post from earlier in the day when she expressed pride in Barbosu, her Romanian teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who was bumped from fourth to fifth in the floor final after the first score change, and Chiles herself.
The post went up shortly after news of Chiles' score change broke, and included a filter over Barbosu's picture that declared her the bronze medalist.
"Proud of you ladies… you make the sport shine," Comaneci wrote.
OLYMPIC LEGEND NADIA COMANECI SLAMS JUDGES OVER CONTROVERSIAL SCORE CHANGE IN FLOOR EXERCISE
Nadia Comneci on the red carpet prior Laureus World Sports Awards at Palacio De Cibeles on April 22, 2024, in Madrid, Spain. (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Comaneci, who won five gold medals during her Olympics career and was awarded the first perfect 10 in gymnastics history at the 1976 Summer Games, previously slammed the judges on Monday for making the score change that left Barbosu in tears and put Chiles on the podium.
"I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this… let’s protect them," Comaneci wrote on X.
At the time, Barbosu was holding a Romanian flag when she looked up and saw the scoring change on the board. She then dropped the flag, covered her face with her hands and walked away in tears.
Meanwhile, Chiles got to join U.S. teammate Simone Biles, who won silver, and Brazil's Rebecca Andrade, who won gold, on the first all-Black gymnastics podium in Olympic history. Biles and Chiles even bowed on both sides of their Brazilian opponent Andrade, 25, who had raised her fists in celebration.
Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade and Jordan Chiles during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women's floor exercise event at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 5, 2024. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Saturday's reversal came when the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the judging panel at the event had improperly granted an inquiry that increased Chiles' score. It claimed that the appeal had been submitted past the one-minute deadline for inquiries and therefore should not have been granted.
Later on Saturday, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced that Chiles' original score of 13.666 was reinstated and she was bumped back down to fifth place, while Barbosa jumped back up to third place with a score 13.766. The announcement did not specify the status of Chiles' medal.
On Sunday, the IOC ordered Chiles to return her bronze medal.
USA Gymnastics and USOPCE said in a statement that they were "devastated" by the ruling.
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"Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media. 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."
Chiles is only the third gymnast in history to have an Olympic medal stripped. The other two were China's Dong Fangxiao and Romania's Andreea Răducan, both of whom lost their medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
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