Jordan Chiles Olympic medal fight turns ugly as USA releases angry statement accusing the court of astonishing mistakes

Jordan Chiles’ fight to retain her bronze medal took another sensational turn Wednesday night when the U.S. Olympic Committee accused the Court of Arbitration for Sport of making astonishing errors in its handling of the case.

According to the USOPC, CAS emailed the wrong people at the U.S. organization to inform them of the action being taken against Chiles, leaving them with little time to act before deciding that Romanian Ana Barbosu would win the bronze for the American gymnast.

USOPC said in a statement — reported by USA Today — that notices were sent to “incorrect email addresses” and that it took three days for CAS to contact Chris McCleary, the general counsel, after Romania appealed Chiles’ score.

“The USOPC strongly challenges the CAS decision based on significant procedural errors. From August 6 to August 9, CAS sent critical communications to incorrect email addresses at USOPC and USAG, an error that was not corrected until August 9 — three days after filing, two days after the deadline to file objections, and less than 24 hours before the hearing,” the statement said.

It added: ‘This deprived us of sufficient time to respond meaningfully or gather the necessary evidence. We immediately informed CAS of our concerns.

‘Our concerns have now been validated by new evidence pointing to administrative errors by FIG (The International Gymnastics Federation) and mismanagement by CAS, which were impossible to address at the time of the hasty hearing. In short, we were denied a meaningful opportunity to be heard.

“Given these circumstances, we are determined to appeal to ensure that Jordan Chiles receives the recognition she deserves. Our search for the truth in this matter remains unabated.”

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