A new detail has emerged in Jordan Chiles’ battle for Olympic bronze medal, a saga that overshadowed a thrilling gymnastics competition at the Paris Olympics.
Chiles was initially awarded bronze on the floor exercise after an appeal against the judges’ scoring of her routine was upheld and she was promoted from fifth to third. However, the Romanian Olympic Committee said the appeal was filed four seconds after the one-minute time limit. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) subsequently overturned Chiles’ appeal and the IOC ordered the American to return the medal. Romania’s Ana Barbosu has been promoted to third, while Chiles has dropped to fifth. The Romanians had requested that both gymnasts be awarded bronze.
USA Gymnastics presented evidence that it said showed Chiles’ appeal was filed within the time limit. But Cas denied the appeal, saying the decision cannot be changed “even if compelling new evidence is presented.”
However, the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution has reported that the head of the CAS panel that made the decision, Dr Hamid G Gharavi, has ties to Romania. The CAS website links to Gharavi’s resume, which states that he represented the Romanian government in arbitration cases.
Cas told the New York Times that Gharavi had disclosed his work with the Romanian government and that none of the parties in the Chiles hearing had objected. “In accordance with the conflict of interest guidelines issued by the International Bar Association, Cas has no grounds to remove an arbitrator who makes such a disclosure if the parties do not object to his or her appointment,” Cas told the Times.
USA Gymnastics could sue Gharavi if the case goes before the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which can hear appeals of CAS decisions, though the tribunal rarely overturns such decisions.
In addition to confusing fans, the saga has also taken its toll on the gymnasts, who were left in doubt for days whether they would retain their medals. Barbosu and Chiles both received insults on social media.
“I can’t believe we’re playing with athletes’ mental health and emotions like this… Let’s protect them,” former Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci of Romania posted on X last week.
Chiles has removed herself from social media, saying she wants to protect her mental health, while Barbosu has said the fault does not lie with her American rival.
“I just want everyone to be fair, we don’t want to start singling out other athletes of any nationality,” Barbosu told reporters. “We as athletes don’t deserve something like that, we just want to perform as well as we can and be rewarded based on our performance. The problems are with the jury, with their calculations and decisions.”
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it will remain committed to Chiles and “continue to fight diligently to resolve this matter promptly and fairly.”