LAUSANNE, Switzerland — 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.
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.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
US gymnast Jordan Chiles has taken her fight to the Swiss Supreme Court in a bid to have her Olympic bronze medal reinstated. Chiles, who was part of the US women’s gymnastics team that won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, was stripped of her medal following a controversial ruling by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
The FIG ruled that Chiles had violated the rules by wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt during the medal ceremony, which they deemed to be a political statement. As a result, Chiles was disqualified and her medal was taken away.
Chiles has vehemently denied that her actions were politically motivated, stating that she was simply expressing her support for the Black Lives Matter movement and standing up against racial injustice. She has argued that her right to freedom of expression should not be infringed upon, especially in a time when athletes are increasingly using their platforms to speak out on social issues.
In her appeal to the Swiss Supreme Court, Chiles is seeking to have the FIG’s ruling overturned and her medal reinstated. She is being supported by a team of legal experts who believe that the FIG’s decision was unjust and discriminatory.
The case has sparked a debate within the gymnastics community about the role of athletes in speaking out on social issues and the limits of freedom of expression. Many have come out in support of Chiles, arguing that athletes should be allowed to use their platforms to advocate for causes they believe in.
Chiles’ appeal to the Swiss Supreme Court is seen as a landmark case that could have far-reaching implications for the rights of athletes to express themselves freely. It remains to be seen how the court will rule on the matter, but one thing is clear: Jordan Chiles is not backing down in her fight for justice.
