Jordan Chiles Appeals Olympic Bronze Decision to Swiss Supreme Court

In Lausanne, Switzerland, American gymnast Jordan Chiles is taking action to contest a ruling made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that resulted in her losing a bronze medal in the floor exercise at the 2024 Olympics. Chiles has officially requested that Switzerland’s Supreme Court intervene and overturn the CAS decision.

Accompanied by support from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, along with USA Gymnastics, Chiles submitted her appeal earlier this week, just over a month after the CAS dismissed an appeal made on her behalf by coach Cecile Landi during the event finals held on August 5. This dismissal had initially moved Chiles from a fifth-place finish to third.

The CAS, prompted by a hearing initiated by Romanian officials, determined that Landi’s appeal was submitted four seconds past the one-minute time limit designated for scoring inquiries. As a result, the CAS recommended reverting to the original finishing order. The International Gymnastics Federation accepted this recommendation, leading to the International Olympic Committee awarding the bronze medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu on August 16.

Chiles argues in her appeal that the CAS hearing violated her “right to be heard,” as the court refused to accept video evidence that she and USA Gymnastics contend demonstrated Landi’s appeal was filed within the time limit. Additionally, Chiles’ appeal raises concerns about a conflict of interest regarding Hamid G. Gharavi, the president of the CAS panel, due to previous legal connections to Romania.

In a statement released on Monday evening, USA Gymnastics underscored the collective decision to support Chiles in leading the appeal process. They emphasized their commitment to collaborating closely with her and her legal team as they strive for what they described as “justice for Jordan.”

This appeal represents just one phase in what may develop into a protracted legal confrontation over the gymnastics scores.

During the floor exercise finals, Chiles was the last of the eight competitors to perform. Initially, she received a score of 13.666, placing her fifth, right behind fellow Romanians Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. In response to this score, Landi initiated a scoring inquiry.

Landi expressed her surprise at the outcome, stating, “At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like, ‘We’re just going to try.’ I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen, but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like ‘What?'”

The judges subsequently upheld the appeal, which allowed Chiles to surpass both Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea to secure the final podium position.

In response to the situation, Romanian officials filed several appeals with the CAS and requested that bronze medals be awarded to Chiles, Barbosu, and Maneca-Voinea. Ultimately, the FIG and IOC decided to grant the bronze medal to Barbosu, who prevailed over her teammate based on a higher execution score in her routine.