Jazmin Chiles, the older sister of American gymnast Jordan Chiles, has taken a bold stand in defense of her sibling following a controversial decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The CAS decision stripped Jordan of the bronze medal she earned in the women’s individual floor exercise on August 5 at the Paris Olympics, sparking a wave of outrage and accusations of racism.
The controversy intensified on August 9, just before the CAS made their decision public. Jordan Chiles’ mother, Gina Chiles, took to social media to reveal that her daughter had been the target of online harassment. She expressed her frustration and heartbreak over the racist comments being directed at Jordan, writing on X,
“The racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024. I’m tired of people who say it no longer exists. My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched…and she’s being called disgusting things.”
The online abuse became so severe that Jordan felt compelled to step away from social media for the sake of her mental health. USA Gymnastics confirmed that she had been bombarded with racist hate messages ever since winning the bronze medal. In response to the CAS ruling, Jazmin Chiles began sharing some of the racially charged messages she received for standing by her sister.
One particularly offensive message came from a now-deleted Instagram account, @Esuntalyy, which dismissed Jazmin’s concerns with the message, “Racism? Delusional bbygirl!” Another troll, @donadriano88, mocked Jazmin with the message, “Cry me a river,” The most shocking message came from @Ascor.Craiova, an account associated with an Orthodox Christian Students’ group in Romania, which used a racial slur, telling her to “GET A JOB N—ER!”
Jazmin addressed these hateful comments in a follow-up post on her Instagram Story. She clarified that her comments were not directed at the other gymnasts or their supporters, but rather at the racism that was “alive and well” in the reactions she and her sister were facing. Jazmin emphasized that she was not accusing the CAS decision-makers or other gymnasts of racism, but rather highlighting the racist backlash that had erupted in response to the ruling. She revealed that in just the past five days, she had been called “Blacky,” “a monkey,” and the N-word multiple times. “So keep yall little raggedy comments to yall self,” she concluded defiantly.
On Sunday, August 11, Jazmin continued to expose the online abuse by sharing more screenshots of offensive messages. One person responded to her story with a racial slur, while another used derogatory language, calling her a “monkey.” Another now-defunct account sarcastically mocked her, saying,
“Poor you, a privileged American girl cry a river!! And f—k you and your racism up your a—!!”
In her post on X, Jazmin reiterated that she fully understood the rules and was not disregarding the impact the CAS decision had on Romania’s Ana Bǎrbosu, who was awarded the bronze medal after the ruling. However, she made it clear that her primary concern was the way the entire situation had been handled and the racist individuals who had seized the opportunity to display their true colors.
Jazmin also took a moment to express gratitude to those who had supported her sister throughout this ordeal, sending a “special shoutout” to everyone standing by Jordan. She ended with a powerful message on X, stating, “My beef is with whoever is responsible for how this ENTIRE situation has been handled as well as the RACIST individuals that are using this as a way to show true colors.”
Despite the challenges, Jazmin remains unwavering in her commitment to advocating for her younger sister, ensuring that the world sees the reality of racism that still exists, even in the world of elite sports.
