Simone Biles to Play Special Role at 2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony
On Aug. 10, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the decision that awarded Simone’s teammate Jordan Chiles the bronze medal in the floor routine. The court determined that Jordan’s coach Cecile Landi did not submit her appeal within the one-minute time limit, instead filing it at one minute and four seconds. As a result, the International Gymnastics Federation reinstated the original rankings from the Aug. 5 competition.
(In case you missed it: Romania’s Ana Barbosu was originally in third place before Cecile successfully appealed the difficulty of Jordan’s routine. This adjustment raised Jordan’s score from 13.666 to 13.766, just above Ana’s score of 13.700.)
The decision to revoke Jordan’s bronze medal and award it to 18-year-old Ana sparked a wave of backlash, including criticism from Simone, Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, and Aly Raisman. Ana also shared her thoughts on the situation.
Despite the controversy, USA Gymnastics has filed an appeal and presented evidence suggesting that Cecile did communicate with Olympic officials within the one-minute window and did not violate any rules.
While this chapter of the 2024 Paris Olympics is still unfolding, continue reading to discover all the highlights from the Closing Ceremony.