The fight continues in Jordan Chiles’ quest to get her Olympic bronze medal back.
Chiles officially filed an appeal in Switzerland’s Supreme Court as she fights to get a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that stripped her of a third-place finish in the women’s gymnastics floor final overturned.
The drama over the bronze medal has lasted long after the Summer Olympics came to a close last month in Paris as the issue has exited the sporting arena and entered the legal one.
Jordan Chiles of United States in action during the Paris Olympics. REUTERS
Chiles’ legal representation said in a press release that the American gymnast was asking the court to overturn the decision made by the CAS since issues with procedure had violated her “right to be heard” and she was not properly informed over a potential conflict of interest by the president of the CAS panel who ruled on her case.
Hamid Gharavi had previously represented Romania, which was the country of competitor Ana Barbosu, in legal proceedings.
“Jordan Chiles’ appeals present the international community with an easy legal question — will everyone stand by while an Olympic athlete who has done only the right thing is stripped of her medal because of fundamental unfairness in an ad-hoc arbitration process? The answer to that question should be no. Every part of the Olympics, including the arbitration process, should stand for fair play,” Chiles’ attorney Maurice M. Suh said in a statement.
USA Gymnastics expressed its support for the appeal in a statement of its own and the organization said that it made the “collective” and “strategic decision” for Chiles’ legal team to make the initial appeal filing.
“USAG is closely coordinating with Jordan and her legal team and will make supportive filings with the court in the continued pursuit of justice for Jordan,” the statement said.
The saga surrounding the bronze medal has created a drawn-out battle that has had many twists and turns.
Jordan Chiles, of the United States, holds up her medals after the women’s artistic gymnastics individual apparatus finals Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics. AP
Chiles had the bronze stripped by the CAS after it ruled that the score appeal that occurred during the women’s floor final had not come within the one-minute deadline and they modified the score which awarded Barbosu third place.
American officials have raised procedural issues with how the CAS handled the hearing, including how USA Gymnastics wasn’t officially notified of Romania’s appeal for several days and the CAS failed to make contact with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee until the day before the hearing.
The Swiss court can only hear an appeal for limited reasons based on procedural issues.
Silver medallist US’ Simone Biles (R) and bronze medallist US’ Jordan Chiles celebrate at the end of the artistic gymnastics women’s floor exercise. AFP via Getty Images
Chiles will file an additional appeal “seeking additional and alternative relief from the Swiss Federal Supreme Court” and both appeals could lead to a retrial in the CAS, the press release from the gymnast’s attorney indicated.
American gymnast Jordan Chiles is asking Switzerland’s Supreme Court to overturn a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that stripped Chiles of a bronze medal in floor exercise at the 2024 Olympics.
Chiles, with the support of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, filed the appeal on Monday, a little over a month after CAS voided an on-floor appeal by Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi during the event finals on Aug. 5 that vaulted Chiles from fifth to third.
CAS, following a hearing requested by Romanian officials, ruled Landi’s appeal came 4 seconds beyond the 1-minute time limit for scoring inquiries and recommended the initial finishing order be restored. The International Gymnastics Federation complied and the International Olympic Committee ended up awarding bronze to Romanian Ana Barbosu on Aug. 16.
Jordan Chiles is returning to social media after her Olympic bronze medal controversy. The 23-year-old gymnast shared three photos of her relaxing on a day bed near a pool on Instagram with a seemingly pointed caption.
Chiles’ appeal maintains that the CAS hearing violated her “right to be heard” by refusing to allow video evidence that Chiles and USA Gymnastics believe showed Landi appealed within the 1-minute time allotment. Chiles’ appeal also argues that Hamid G. Gharavi, president of the CAS panel, has a conflict of interest due to past legal ties to Romania.
USA Gymnastics wrote in a statement Monday night that it made a “collective, strategic decision to have Jordan lead the initial filing. USAG is closely coordinating with Jordan and her legal team and will make supportive filings with the court in the continued pursuit of justice for Jordan.”
The appeal is the next step in what could be a months- or years-long legal battle over the gymnastics scores.
Chiles was last among the eight women to compete during the floor exercise finals initially given a score of 13.666 that placed her fifth, right behind Barbosu and fellow Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. Landi called for an inquiry on Chiles’ score.
“At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like ‘We’re just going to try,’” Landi said after the awards ceremony. “I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen, but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like ‘What?’”
Judges awarded the appeal, leapfrogging Chiles past Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for the last spot on the podium.
Romanian officials appealed to CAS on several fronts while also asking a bronze medal be awarded to Chiles, Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea. The FIG and the IOC ultimately gave the bronze to Barbosu, who beat her teammate on a tiebreaker because she produced a higher execution score during her routine.
Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles lost her third-place score for floor exercise on Saturday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport found that her score was incorrectly adjusted, moving Chiles to fourth place and reinstating Romania’s Sabrina Maneca-Voinea in third place.
The fight over Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal is not over yet.
Chiles’ attorneys announced Monday that they have filed a formal appeal with the Swiss Federal Tribunal over the results in the women’s floor exercise final at the 2024 Paris Olympics − asking the tribunal to overturn an earlier ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that effectively knocked Chiles off the podium.
Chiles was moved into third place after challenging the judges’ score of one of the elements in her routine, then bumped back down to fifth days later after CAS ruled the challenge was submitted four seconds too late. The International Olympic Committee has since asked Chiles to return her bronze medal and awarded one to Anna Barbosu of Romania, the gymnast who was elevated to third after the CAS ruling.
“Jordan Chiles’ appeals present the international community with an easy legal question − will everyone stand by while an Olympic athlete who has done only the right thing is stripped of her medal because of fundamental unfairness in an ad-hoc arbitration process?” attorney Maurice Suh said in a statement. “The answer to that question should be no. Every part of the Olympics, including the arbitration process, should stand for fair play.”
The statement also said Chiles plans to file an additional petition “seeking additional and alternative relief from the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.”
“Both briefs could result in a retrial of this matter before CAS in order to allow her — for the first time — to prepare a defense and present evidence, including the video footage showing that her coach’s scoring inquiry was submitted on time,” the statement said.
Chiles’ appeal to the tribunal, which is the highest court in Switzerland, marks a significant and relatively rare step. CAS is designed to be the final arbiter of any legal disputes in international sports, so it often has the final word on cases like this one, which was initially filed by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation against the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
The Swiss tribunal usually overturns CAS decisions only in cases where there was a blatant procedural violation, lack of jurisdiction or incompatibility with Swiss public policy.
Chiles’ attorneys said in a news release that they are appealing the CAS ruling because it was “procedurally deficient” in two ways. They argue that the American gymnast’s fundamental “right to be heard” was violated when CAS declined to consider new video evidence, obtained after the hearing, that shows her inquiry was submitted on time. And they also say the CAS hearing was unfair because Chiles was not informed that the president of the arbitration panel that heard the case, Hamid Gharavi, has “a serious conflict of interest,” having represented Romania in other proceedings.
“Given these undeniable deficiencies, Chiles asks the Federal Supreme Court to reinstate the score that she rightfully earned at the floor event final,” law firms Gibson Dunn and Homburger AG said in the news release.
The law firms said Chiles’ appeal was accompanied by a letter of support from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which has repeatedly criticized CAS’ handling of the case − specifically with regards to the timeline.
While CAS attempted to notify all of the relevant parties of the dispute on August 6, the USOPC and national governing body USA Gymnastics have said they were not informed about the case until three days later − and less than 24 hours before the hearing was scheduled to begin. The early notices about the case were sent to incorrect email addresses, USA Gymnastics has said.
The governing bodies have also lamented CAS’ decision not to consider the aforementioned video footage, which they say was discovered after the CAS hearing but conclusively proves that Chiles’ inquiry was submitted on time. CAS declined to re-open the case and consider the new video evidence.
“In collaboration with Jordan’s counsel and USA Gymnastics, we are pursuing a coordinated approach, with Jordan’s team handling the initial appeal,” the USOPC said in a statement. “Due to the egregious errors and oversight by CAS in handling the case and overlooking clear evidence of Jordan’s rightful bronze win, we are determined to ensure she receives the recognition she deserves. Our commitment to truth in this matter remains steadfast.”
USA Gymnastics said it supported Chiles’ appeal and will continue to work with her legal team.
“We will make supportive filings with the court in the continued pursuit of justice for Jordan,” USAG said in a statement.
The dispute itself revolves around slim margins – namely one tenth of a point in the floor exercise final, which is the difference between Chiles or Barbosu earning bronze.
Chiles and her coaches believed the 23-year-old was not given full credit for her split leap, known as a tour jete full. Cecile Landi, who was Chiles’ personal coach as well as coach of the U.S. team in Paris, filed what’s known as an inquiry, triggering a review of that element’s scoring. It was successful, and Chiles was credited with an additional 0.10 points, giving her the bronze and knocking Barbosu, 18, off the podium.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation later took the matter to CAS, arguing that the inquiry had been filed four seconds past the allotted one-minute deadline. CAS agreed and ordered FIG to revise the order of finish in the event, which prompted the IOC to ask Chiles to return her bronze medal.
The CAS ruling in question was filed by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and Barbosu against FIG and Donatella Sacchi, the president of FIG’s technical committee for women’s gymnastics. While Chiles, the USOPC and USAG were not named in the dispute, they were involved in the arbitral process as “interested parties,” according to CAS.
Chiles spoke about the ordeal publicly for the first time last week, saying during an appearance at the Forbes Power Women’s Summit that her “heart was broken” by the process. The International Gymnastics Federation acknowledged during the CAS hearing that it did not have a mechanism in place to show if inquiries were submitted in time and accepted Chiles’ because it assumed it had been.
Yet Chiles was the one penalized, through no fault of her own. That is why she’s continuing to fight, Chiles said last week.
“At this rate, it’s not really about the medal,” she said. “It’s about my peace and my justice.”
