The curious case of gymnast Jordan Chiles
The curious case of gymnast Jordan Chiles continues to generate controversy as other details of her appeal are revealed.
U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles and the U.S. Olympic team are caught in an increasingly surreal scenario as they struggle to appeal a decision.
In between trying to win back the bronze medal for Jordan Chiles.
The curious case of gymnast Jordan Chiles and efforts to recover the bronze medal she believes she won during the floor exercise at the Paris 2024 Olympics are running into increasingly bizarre obstacles.
In that regard, on Tuesday, August 13, there was a new twist in the ongoing saga.
The head of the three-person panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ruled that the United States’ initial inquiry into Chiles’ score on the floor exercise was submitted outside the one-minute time limit.
As a result, it awarded third place to Romania’s Ana Bărbosu on Saturday, while the lawyer on the committee has been representing Romania’s interests for years.
For many, American gymnast Jordan Chiles was stripped of the bronze medal in the floor exercise.
Dr. Hamid G. Gharavi, Philippe Sands and Song Lu were on the panel, of which Gharavi was the chairman, according to CAS.
Gharavi’s resume, which is available on the CAS website, lists numerous cases in which he has represented Romania in arbitration cases.
The curious case of gymnast Jordan Chiles continues to generate controversy.
The International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution was the first to report on Gharavi’s legal ties to Romania.
In response to a request for comment, Gharavi referred CNN to CAS.
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In a statement sent to CNN on Wednesday, CAS said, “In accordance with the conflict of interest guidelines issued by the International Bar Association (IBA), CAS has no grounds to remove an arbitrator who makes such a disclosure if the parties do not object to his or her appointment.”
Initially, Bărbosu thought she had the medal until the U.S. team successfully appealed the judge’s scoring of Chiles’ routine, which elevated the American from fifth place to third.
It was a snapshot iconic image from the first all-black podium in Olympic gymnastics history.
Chiles retained the medal just five days before CAS awarded it to Bărbosu.
To complicate matters, the communication prior to the tribunal’s decision was flawed.
According to CNN contributor Christine Brennan, CAS notified the wrong U.S. officials of the hearing on Saturday.
The U.S. team now says it has video evidence that its appeal was filed within the designated 60-second time limit, but US Gymnastics says CAS informed them that, according to its own rules, the decision cannot be reconsidered “even when new conclusive evidence is presented.”
On Monday, USA Gymnastics said it would “continue to pursue all possible avenues and appeal processes, including the Swiss Federal Court, to ensure fair scoring, placement and medal awards for Jordan.”
The curious case of gymnast Jordan Chiles is sure to continue to reveal new clues, in an act, it would seem, more exclusive than usual.
Meanwhile, Chiles took to social media and posted four heartbroken emojis in the wake of Saturday’s CAS ruling.