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 it was decided that Romania’s Ana Barbosu would give the American gymnast the bronze in the floor final.
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.
The U.S. Olympic Committee is not giving up on Jordan Chiles’ fight to retain her bronze medal
Chiles was stripped of her bronze on Saturday after Romania appealed her final score on the floor
‘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.”
Earlier on Wednesday, CAS responded to suggestions that there was a conflict of interest in the panel that ruled Chiles should lose her bronze medal.
Hamid G. Gharavi led the panel that decided that Chiles should lose her medal at the expense of Romanian Barbosu. However, it later emerged that Gharavi has been working for the Romanian government for about 10 years.
CAS said: ‘The Court condemns the scandalous statements published in certain American media alleging that the Panel, and in particular its Chairman, was biased because of other professional commitments or for reasons of nationality.
‘Since none of the parties to this case challenged any of the panel members during the proceedings, it is reasonable to assume that all parties were satisfied with having their cases heard by this panel. Any subsequent criticism is without merit or merit.’
According to The New York Times, panel members are required to fill out a conflict of interest form before judging a case.
The publication said that Gharavi had revealed his work with the Romanian government. The Times also said that Gharavi refused to comment when approached.
Simone Biles celebrates her bronze medal in Paris with a crying Chiles
Romania’s Ana Barbosu is expected to collect her own bronze medal on Friday
USA Turning says it is “devastated” and has vowed to challenge the ruling by appealing to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
It is rare for a CAS decision to be overturned, but the tone the U.S. Olympic Committee struck Wednesday night underscores how strongly it believes it has a case.
Chiles herself has remained silent since Saturday’s verdict, aside from posting heartbreak on Instagram and announcing she is taking a break from social media.
She had the support of her gymnastics team, with Simone Biles as the main name.
Biles wrote: ‘Sending you lots of love Jordan. Keep your chin up, Olympic champion! We love you!’
Jordan Chiles posted two statements on social media regarding the loss of her bronze medal
Barbosu said she hopes to be on the podium next to Chiles at the next Olympics
Barbosu, who will receive the bronze at a ceremony in Bucharest on Friday, sent Chiles a message on Instagram over the weekend.
Barbosu initially thought she had won bronze in Paris, but Chiles’ score of 13.666, which had initially placed her fifth, was increased by 0.1 after an appeal from her coach. The Romanian, who had been celebrating, was in tears and the change in Chiles’ score meant that Barbosu and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea dropped to fourth and fifth, each with a score of 13.700.
Romania was successful in its appeal on the grounds that the US requested an investigation into Chiles’ score outside the allowed minutes. The US has since said it has evidence that it requested it within 60 seconds.
In a post tagging Chiles on her Instagram, Barbosu said: ‘Sabrina [Maneca-Voinea]Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you’re feeling because I’ve been through the same thing. But I know you’ll come back stronger. I hope from the bottom of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us [the] the same stage. That’s my real dream!’
“This situation would not have existed if those responsible had respected the regulations. We, athletes, are not to blame and the hatred directed at us is painful.
‘I wanted to end this edition of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world.’
