The latest injustice against American gymnast Jordan Chiles continues a trend of anti-Black and anti-woman policies that have stained the Olympic Games
Only people who have never smoked marijuana would think it in any way helps with athletic performance. Anyone who can compete stoned on pot should get extra credit instead of being disqualified.
Honestly it was so mind boggling that her use of a marijuana to cope with the depression of losing her mother was used to further penalize her from something completely unrelated.
Unfortunately you are correct about this. It is sad that you are correct. There are some who believe there is no such thing as racism. You have offered many examples here that stand out. If anything, we should reject this attack on women of color. Period. So much for the Olympic Games.
I hope you're right Qasim, but I'm not holding my breath given the racism in the US. Israel will probably still be allowed to compete and even more Palestinian athletes will have been murdered by Israel before then.
I believe that years ago I read in some history of the original Olympics, that not only was cheating and dirty tricks tolerated in these contests but they were expected because most of the athletes were "sponsored" by Greek oligarchs and since gambling on the outcomes was de rigeur, tampering with the results was part of the "game".
In which case, the scandals of the modern Olympics, are merely the continuation of hallowed tradition. The modern IOC cannot seem to keep its thumbs off the scales, aided and abetted by judges of proven incompetence or biased intent.
Sports as substitutes for war are governed by the same ambitions, chicanery, and malice.
As for misogyny, not only were Greek women banned from competing they were also banned from spectating! The men competed naked ya know - tsk, tsk!
I say that we as a people protest the treatment of the people of color and women especially in these Olympic Games. All of women should throw all their medals 🏅 in the faces of the Olympic Games as well as the American men. I know that I am dreaming, they will never do anything like that, but I hope they all boycott the ending of the games and people don’t participate. I hope that people boycott Paris and France, Italy, Romania and the other countries that allow rapist to participate in the games.
You make many good points and most i agree with, however a few remarks:
1. when it comes to Chiles, she wasn't the only one who was wrongly penalized. The Romanian who placed 5th got points deducted unjustly for stepping outside of the boundary. Without that penalty she placed above Chiles (even with her points added). Which is why she will get the bronze. Mind you the Romanians asked for 3 bronze medals to avoid any hurt feelings.
The time to appeal is, however, ridiculously short. That should still change.
2. while I cannot defend someone who raped a minor, in the case of the Dutch athlete he did serve jail time for that. Justice is not about perpetual vengeance. Given that he served his time, why should he not be able to compete?
1. To be sure, the blame isn't on the Romanian team. The point is exceptions are made to allow them to get their bronze, but excuses are made to prevent Chiles. Individual examples are not data, which is why I cited multiple examples and multiple studies which document data. That's the point of this article.
2. It's not about perpetual vengeance, it's about the fact that even a child rapist can find approval to compete, but a Muslim woman observing hijab is still banned. It's the double standard to the extreme.
Don’t forget there is an ethics clause. I suppose being a sexual predator is okay to participate in the games. But wearing a hijab is not okay. Make my mind up please.
I agree with much of what you’ve said. However, the case of Jordan Chiles and Romania’s Ana Barbosu cannot be boiled down to a racist decision by judges. It’s much more complicated. Did you watch the performances? Both Chiles and Barbosu were very good. The closeness of the scores shows that Barbosu did not “underperform” as you stated. At first, Chiles scored 13.666 and Barbosu scored 13.7. After the inquiry, Chiles’s score was increased to 13.766. After Romania’s complaint, the bronze medal was given to Barbosu. I agree that removing the bronze from Chiles due solely to a violation of the one minute rule is ridiculous, and the USA is appealing. Nevertheless, Romania has reason to be suspicious of the judges. Another Romanian gymnast, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, put in an outstanding performance. NBC Commentators Laurie Hernandez and Rich Lerner expressed shock that Maneca-Voinea received what they considered to be a low score of 3.7. They expected a much higher score. Romania appealed and got nothing. Hernandez, a former Olympic gymnast, was part of Simone Biles’ team that won a gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.
I remarked on that, too. Since the errors in scoring were made by the officials -- it was not the fault of any of the girls -- & since the scores were so very close & controversial, all three should be given bronze medals in my opinion.
Qasim, there's a double-edged sword here. Your metier is human rights law, which uniquely qualifies and advantages you to spot abuses. On the other hand, you are also much more sensitized to abuses than would be some other people.
An important part of Chiles' issue is the ridiculous, FOR ANYONE(!), requirement to challenge a ruling practically immediately. And four seconds over disqualifies the challenge? Please. The IOC has some "'splainin'" to do.
Regarding Richardson, it is entirely true that marijuana is not a PED. Nor is it an antidepressant. So who knows what to make of that ruling? Mommadillo makes a funny comment, but s/he is right.
As for the matter of ethnic/religious attire for "modesty," it's not about modesty. It's about religion. We're talking here about a world stage where someone's likely uncovered legs are in full view, as, according to the photograph you show, is the contour of the breasts. There's nothing modest about that. And Mommadillo could make the same joke about someone who can compete with the burden of extra and wind-catching clothing. There are athletes (most commonly swimmers) who shave their heads and legs, or others who style their hair in certain ways to reduce drag.
You are of course absolutely right about Khelif, and you've written about her already.
The IOC has a ridiculous rule, which it followed, regarding Chiles. Were they seemingly unreasonably rigid about it? You think so, and I agree with you. But since it is a rule, and they did follow it, it's hard to dismiss this example as racist. The Romanians would of course have shown true sporting spirit if they had declined the bronze medal, and asked that it be given to Chiles. But either they're selfish, or after that much work and expense, they just couldn't think straight.
Yes, it's an old and deeply frustrating line that black people say they have to work twice as hard to get half as much credit. And men get more credit than do women, even though, in my experience, on the average, women are smarter than men. And tall people, and better looking people, get promoted over shorter and more homely people. All unfair.
More on the floor exercise that I learned elsewhere: the US coaches claim they notified the authorities first 47 seconds after the initial judgment then again 55 seconds after the original decision, although the officials agreed with the Romanians that it was 64 seconds. (This is such a ridiculously short time to protest a judgment, anyway.)
But another interesting factor was that the 3rd competitor involved in this shuffle back & forth, who ended up 4th according to the officials, also a Romanian, also protested being denied a tenth of a point that she said she earned, which would've vaulted her into 3rd place, but her objection was also denied.
I think all 3 of them should be awarded the bronze, being that it was an error by the officials, & they were all so close to each other that it was a virtual tie for third.
This really did feel like the judges were looking for any excuse to strip Chiles of her bronze, especially after people were big mad about the podium pic. Unfortunately they were able to find something they could claim was enough to do so.
So ridiculous and utterly unfair after the work she put in.
All of this is true, but the Olympics are and have been guilty of much worse. Before these Summer Games, thousands of homeless people were removed from the Paris area, sometimes violently. Read more about this on my Substack, Opinions Unleashed.
I'm getting so sick of this bullshit, if I could mentally check out for the remainder of my days I would. But instead I'm here, I'm aware, and I'm impotent to do a damn thing about anything. I'm beyond frustrated, I see why so many people just focus on their own little bubble, inside their own little world and have no problem going about their day pretending like this shit don't exist. I wish I could do the same, it would be so much better for me and mine if I could.. instead I sit here... after spending nearly two weeks writing a petition that I doubt I'll be able to get the signatures for, certain I wasted my time on, wondering what can I do about this insane bullshit.. 4 seconds are you mother fucking kidding me!?!?!?!?!
Only people who have never smoked marijuana would think it in any way helps with athletic performance. Anyone who can compete stoned on pot should get extra credit instead of being disqualified.
Honestly it was so mind boggling that her use of a marijuana to cope with the depression of losing her mother was used to further penalize her from something completely unrelated.
I can testify to that!
Great article! Not to mention the hypocrisy of banning Russia for the Ukraine situation while still letting Israel compete
Yep 100%. I've pointed that out in my previous article about Imane Khelif.
Unfortunately you are correct about this. It is sad that you are correct. There are some who believe there is no such thing as racism. You have offered many examples here that stand out. If anything, we should reject this attack on women of color. Period. So much for the Olympic Games.
I'm hopeful the LA Olympics in 2028 remediate these absurdities.
I hope you're right Qasim, but I'm not holding my breath given the racism in the US. Israel will probably still be allowed to compete and even more Palestinian athletes will have been murdered by Israel before then.
You and me both!
You're hopeful... I'm doubtful rub some of that positively off on me will you, I'm getting a brow wrinkle from all this insane bullshit.
Thank you for clearly explaining why Jordan Chiles medal was revoked. It is a travesty of justice!
I believe that years ago I read in some history of the original Olympics, that not only was cheating and dirty tricks tolerated in these contests but they were expected because most of the athletes were "sponsored" by Greek oligarchs and since gambling on the outcomes was de rigeur, tampering with the results was part of the "game".
In which case, the scandals of the modern Olympics, are merely the continuation of hallowed tradition. The modern IOC cannot seem to keep its thumbs off the scales, aided and abetted by judges of proven incompetence or biased intent.
Sports as substitutes for war are governed by the same ambitions, chicanery, and malice.
As for misogyny, not only were Greek women banned from competing they were also banned from spectating! The men competed naked ya know - tsk, tsk!
What an EXCELLENT,EXCELLENT article! Thank you for writing it!
Thank you, Beth. I appreciate you.
Great post, Qasim. None of this will change in '28 LA. This is the way they roll......
We need to keep the pressure on.
I know you’re right. Can’t let my deep-seated skepticism cause me to let up. Intelligent voices such as yours are certainly helpful.
I say that we as a people protest the treatment of the people of color and women especially in these Olympic Games. All of women should throw all their medals 🏅 in the faces of the Olympic Games as well as the American men. I know that I am dreaming, they will never do anything like that, but I hope they all boycott the ending of the games and people don’t participate. I hope that people boycott Paris and France, Italy, Romania and the other countries that allow rapist to participate in the games.
You make many good points and most i agree with, however a few remarks:
1. when it comes to Chiles, she wasn't the only one who was wrongly penalized. The Romanian who placed 5th got points deducted unjustly for stepping outside of the boundary. Without that penalty she placed above Chiles (even with her points added). Which is why she will get the bronze. Mind you the Romanians asked for 3 bronze medals to avoid any hurt feelings.
The time to appeal is, however, ridiculously short. That should still change.
2. while I cannot defend someone who raped a minor, in the case of the Dutch athlete he did serve jail time for that. Justice is not about perpetual vengeance. Given that he served his time, why should he not be able to compete?
1. To be sure, the blame isn't on the Romanian team. The point is exceptions are made to allow them to get their bronze, but excuses are made to prevent Chiles. Individual examples are not data, which is why I cited multiple examples and multiple studies which document data. That's the point of this article.
2. It's not about perpetual vengeance, it's about the fact that even a child rapist can find approval to compete, but a Muslim woman observing hijab is still banned. It's the double standard to the extreme.
Don’t forget there is an ethics clause. I suppose being a sexual predator is okay to participate in the games. But wearing a hijab is not okay. Make my mind up please.
I agree with much of what you’ve said. However, the case of Jordan Chiles and Romania’s Ana Barbosu cannot be boiled down to a racist decision by judges. It’s much more complicated. Did you watch the performances? Both Chiles and Barbosu were very good. The closeness of the scores shows that Barbosu did not “underperform” as you stated. At first, Chiles scored 13.666 and Barbosu scored 13.7. After the inquiry, Chiles’s score was increased to 13.766. After Romania’s complaint, the bronze medal was given to Barbosu. I agree that removing the bronze from Chiles due solely to a violation of the one minute rule is ridiculous, and the USA is appealing. Nevertheless, Romania has reason to be suspicious of the judges. Another Romanian gymnast, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, put in an outstanding performance. NBC Commentators Laurie Hernandez and Rich Lerner expressed shock that Maneca-Voinea received what they considered to be a low score of 3.7. They expected a much higher score. Romania appealed and got nothing. Hernandez, a former Olympic gymnast, was part of Simone Biles’ team that won a gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.
I remarked on that, too. Since the errors in scoring were made by the officials -- it was not the fault of any of the girls -- & since the scores were so very close & controversial, all three should be given bronze medals in my opinion.
Qasim, there's a double-edged sword here. Your metier is human rights law, which uniquely qualifies and advantages you to spot abuses. On the other hand, you are also much more sensitized to abuses than would be some other people.
An important part of Chiles' issue is the ridiculous, FOR ANYONE(!), requirement to challenge a ruling practically immediately. And four seconds over disqualifies the challenge? Please. The IOC has some "'splainin'" to do.
Regarding Richardson, it is entirely true that marijuana is not a PED. Nor is it an antidepressant. So who knows what to make of that ruling? Mommadillo makes a funny comment, but s/he is right.
As for the matter of ethnic/religious attire for "modesty," it's not about modesty. It's about religion. We're talking here about a world stage where someone's likely uncovered legs are in full view, as, according to the photograph you show, is the contour of the breasts. There's nothing modest about that. And Mommadillo could make the same joke about someone who can compete with the burden of extra and wind-catching clothing. There are athletes (most commonly swimmers) who shave their heads and legs, or others who style their hair in certain ways to reduce drag.
You are of course absolutely right about Khelif, and you've written about her already.
The IOC has a ridiculous rule, which it followed, regarding Chiles. Were they seemingly unreasonably rigid about it? You think so, and I agree with you. But since it is a rule, and they did follow it, it's hard to dismiss this example as racist. The Romanians would of course have shown true sporting spirit if they had declined the bronze medal, and asked that it be given to Chiles. But either they're selfish, or after that much work and expense, they just couldn't think straight.
Yes, it's an old and deeply frustrating line that black people say they have to work twice as hard to get half as much credit. And men get more credit than do women, even though, in my experience, on the average, women are smarter than men. And tall people, and better looking people, get promoted over shorter and more homely people. All unfair.
More on the floor exercise that I learned elsewhere: the US coaches claim they notified the authorities first 47 seconds after the initial judgment then again 55 seconds after the original decision, although the officials agreed with the Romanians that it was 64 seconds. (This is such a ridiculously short time to protest a judgment, anyway.)
But another interesting factor was that the 3rd competitor involved in this shuffle back & forth, who ended up 4th according to the officials, also a Romanian, also protested being denied a tenth of a point that she said she earned, which would've vaulted her into 3rd place, but her objection was also denied.
I think all 3 of them should be awarded the bronze, being that it was an error by the officials, & they were all so close to each other that it was a virtual tie for third.
This really did feel like the judges were looking for any excuse to strip Chiles of her bronze, especially after people were big mad about the podium pic. Unfortunately they were able to find something they could claim was enough to do so.
So ridiculous and utterly unfair after the work she put in.
Too much CORRUPTION in all these, AIPAC or OIPAC or Olympic IPAC ….This world is INFECTED with them …the Semite induced CORRUPTION !
All of this is true, but the Olympics are and have been guilty of much worse. Before these Summer Games, thousands of homeless people were removed from the Paris area, sometimes violently. Read more about this on my Substack, Opinions Unleashed.
I'm getting so sick of this bullshit, if I could mentally check out for the remainder of my days I would. But instead I'm here, I'm aware, and I'm impotent to do a damn thing about anything. I'm beyond frustrated, I see why so many people just focus on their own little bubble, inside their own little world and have no problem going about their day pretending like this shit don't exist. I wish I could do the same, it would be so much better for me and mine if I could.. instead I sit here... after spending nearly two weeks writing a petition that I doubt I'll be able to get the signatures for, certain I wasted my time on, wondering what can I do about this insane bullshit.. 4 seconds are you mother fucking kidding me!?!?!?!?!