In a shocking turn of events, U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her bronze medal in the floor exercise event at the recent Olympic Games. This decision comes after an appeal by her coach regarding the scoring was deemed invalid by both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The retroactive awarding of the bronze medal to Romania's Ana Bărbosu has sparked controversy within the world of gymnastics.

Chiles becomes the first and only gymnast to lose an Olympic medal due to reasons other than age falsification or failed drug tests. This incident marks the sport's most high-profile controversy since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where another significant scandal unfolded during the women's all-around final. In Sydney, the vaulting table was set to an incorrect height, posing dangers to the world's top gymnasts and compromising the validity of the competition's results.

The table was discovered to be nearly two inches lower than required, leading to multiple gymnasts crashing their vaults before officials intervened with tape measures to rectify the error. Despite being given a second chance to vault, gold-medal favorite Svetlana Khorkina suffered significant setbacks due to the equipment malfunction. After landing a disastrous vault on her knees, she declined to repeat her event upon learning about the error.

In addition to the vaulting incident, other gymnasts at the 2000 Sydney Olympics were also stripped of their medals for unrelated reasons. Andreea Răducan of Romania, who initially won the all-around gold medal, lost her title after testing positive for a banned substance. The prohibited stimulant pseudoephedrine was found in her system on the day of the final, unknowingly ingested through cold medicine provided by her team doctor. Her teammate, Simona Amânar, who initially earned silver, was then awarded the all-around title. Răducan retained her gold medal from the team event and an individual vault medal she won three days later.

Fifteen years after her positive test, Răducan met with IOC president Thomas Bach to discuss the possibility of reclaiming her medal. However, Bach expressed sympathy but upheld the strict anti-doping rules, emphasizing the principle of strict liability for athletes. He acknowledged Răducan's young age at the time and the trust placed in medical professionals.

In another instance related to age falsification, the Chinese team was stripped of its bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It was discovered that one of their gymnasts, Dong Fangxiao, had been too young to compete. Gymnasts participating at the Olympic level must be at least 16 years old during the Games or turning 16 within that calendar year. Fangxiao's falsified age came to light when she attempted to register for the 2008 Beijing Games with a different birth year. As a result, the U.S. women's gymnastics team, initially finishing fourth in 2000, was awarded the bronze medal in 2010 after China's disqualification.

Following Saturday's CAS ruling, USA Gymnastics submitted an appeal on behalf of Chiles. The national governing body presented video evidence and a letter claiming that Chiles' score inquiry was filed within the one-minute deadline. However, CAS responded on Monday, stating that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even with conclusive new evidence. USA Gymnastics expressed disappointment and vowed to continue pursuing every possible avenue and appeal process, including appealing to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

In recent years, CAS and the IOC have established precedents for awarding multiple Olympic medals in situations involving errors beyond athletes' control. For instance, in 2022, Switzerland's Fanny Smith and Germany's Daniela Maier were both awarded Olympic bronze medals in ski cross following a lengthy review period and subsequent dispute.

Ana Bărbosu, set to receive her medal on Friday, stated that athletes should not be held responsible for the controversy surrounding the scoring appeal. Meanwhile, Chiles has temporarily stepped back from social media to prioritize her mental health and has not yet shared plans to return her medal.