US Appeal Denied in Jordan Chiles Bronze Medal Dispute by Court

August 13, 2024 TruthUSA

Chiles had her medal taken away by the Court of Arbitration for Sport due to a late inquiry that raised her score.

Team USA’s appeal against the decision to strip Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles of her bronze medal for the floor exercise has been denied by an international sports court, citing that the rules prevent any reversal of the decision.

On August 11, Chiles lost her medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) determined that a request made by coach Cecile Landi to increase Chiles’s final score was submitted beyond the acceptable deadline. Consequently, Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu was awarded the bronze instead by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In a statement released on August 12, USA Gymnastics explained that despite conclusive new evidence being presented, the CAS indicated that the rules do not allow for reconsideration of an arbitral award.

Team USA is now exploring options for appealing to another court and is committed to fighting this decision further.

“We are extremely disappointed by this outcome and will exhaust all possible avenues and appeals, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure that Jordan is rightfully scored, placed, and awarded a medal,” said Team USA in a statement.

According to USA Gymnastics, they formally submitted evidence to the CAS showing that Landi’s inquiry was lodged 47 seconds after Chiles’s score was published. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) requires inquiries about scores to be submitted within a 1-minute deadline to be considered.

Regulations by FIG state that a coach can challenge a difficulty score verbally immediately after the score’s publication. An athlete can earn points for meeting composition requirements and performing skills with higher difficulty levels.

Initially, Chiles received a score of 13.666, placing her fifth before a review raised it by 0.1 after Landi’s inquiry.

Following the adjustment, Chiles’s score rose to 13.766, securing her the bronze medal. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation promptly appealed to the CAS to review the decision to alter Chiles’s score.

The dispute over Chiles’s bronze medal has extended beyond the official end of the Paris Olympics, which concluded with a closing ceremony on August 11. After weeks of competition across 32 sports involving over 10,000 athletes, Team USA topped the medal tally at the Paris Olympics with 126 medals. While tying with China for the most gold medals at 40, Team USA secured the most silver and bronze medals.

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