Team USA shot putter Chase Jackson was overwhelmed with emotion upon her arrival in Paris when she discovered that the uniform provided to her was not available in her size.
The 30-year-old athlete shared her emotional journey during the 2024 Paris Olympics through a heartfelt Instagram Story.
With tears in her eyes, she revealed that she had been feeling incredibly sad for the last ‘hour’ because ‘they didn’t have anything in [her] size.’
The five-foot-ten track and field star later explained that a ‘logistical nightmare’ had led to the sizing issue.
However, her initial video drew a wave of anger, prompting Chase’s fans to take to social media to voice their outrage.
Team USA shot putter Chase Jackson broke down in tears after she arrived in Paris and saw that the uniform she was given was not her size
In her first post, the 30-year-old expressed, ‘When you spend your first hour in Paris crying because they didn’t give you anything in your size.’
One individual commented: ‘This is some red hot bulls*** not having official opening ceremony attire for this beautiful woman.’
Another added: ‘Shameful!’
A user noted: ‘I hate that this happened for her. As a plus-sized woman, I know how that feels. As an Image Consultant & wardrobe stylist, I’ve found Ralph Lauren offers inclusive sizes. This is unacceptable though, just providing context.’
‘There’s absolutely no excuse. I’m sure they had ‘non-standard’ lengths for tall basketball players. They should be ashamed. Wishing Chase an amazing Olympics! I’m rooting for her,’ wrote another.
‘Epic failure,’ a fifth person remarked.
Chase followed up her initial message to clarify the situation, asserting that her size was available, but there had been ‘an administrative error’ regarding her requested size.
‘Seeing the wrong sizes upon arrival was understandably upsetting, but my team has been incredible in resolving it,’ she stated.
The 30-year-old athlete spoke about the emotional experiences she faced during the 2024 Paris Olympics
With tears in her eyes, Chase expressed her sadness over not having the correct uniform size
‘The USATF/Team USA/Nike representatives have truly stepped up,’ she shared.
She emphasized that there was no reason to be upset with the brands, clarifying that the situation was merely an error.
‘It turns out there was an administrative mistake in the system that incorrectly recorded all my sizes for different brands,’ she explained.
‘Just to clarify, all brands have my size; it just wasn’t provided to me initially, but I have it now, so everything is fine. There was no exclusion, just an unfortunate logistical mishap!
The athlete shared that her emotional response to receiving the wrong size was multifaceted.
She admitted: ‘I think I became so upset because I’ve faced exclusion in the past, and it’s painful. I’m relieved that this wasn’t the case here and that it was merely an honest mistake.’
Chase expressed her emotional response to being handed the incorrect size uniform
Fans took to social media to express their frustrations regarding Chase’s uniform issue
‘I am open to discussing these kinds of issues, whether related to this case or the broader topic, but it will be after my competitions,’ she stated.
Previously, the athlete revealed that while she now embraces the idea that ‘strong is beautiful,’ she did not always feel that way.
Chase shared with USA Today: ‘I was never the delicate dancer. It was challenging. When someone would say, “You look strong as an ox!” I’d think, “I’m 12, please don’t say that!”
She mentioned that she worked hard to embrace her feminine side and found new ways to express it.
Chase then committed to helping young girls feel more confident in their own skin.
She is scheduled to compete in the women’s shot put qualifying round on Thursday.
