Chiles filed her appeal Monday to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, fighting the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to strip her of her bronze medal in the women’s floor final in Paris.
The CAS sided with the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, which claimed Chiles submitted the challenge that launched her into third place four seconds too late.
Following the CAS decision, Ana Bărbosu of Romania was declared the bronze medal winner, which bumped Chiles to fifth place.
But Chiles might be able to complete one more stunning flip. Chiles’s appeal reveals that footage for Simone Biles Rising—two episodes of which were released in the lead-up to the Olympics, and two covering the competition are set to be released later this year—shows Team USA, Biles, and Chiles’s head coach, Cécile Landi, multiple times calling for a challenge before the one-minute deadline.
Inquiry for Jordan!” Landi, who was mic’d up for the documentary, can be heard saying starting at the 49-second mark after Chiles’s score was first announced.
“One of the two technical assistants, dressed in white, made eye contact with her and nodded to indicate the receipt of the Verbal Inquiry,” says the appeal, translated from its original publication in German.
After that, Landi repeated “Inquiry for Jordan,” and “For Jordan,” all before the deadline passed, according to the appeal.
The whole process since Chiles was given her medal has been a messy one. The CAS attempted to communicate about the situation with invalid USA Gymnastics and U.S.
The appeal alleges that the Olympic and Paralympic Committee failed to send email notifications to officials from Chiles, USAG, and USOPC for three days.
According to the appeal, the officials only became aware of the situation less than three hours before they were required to submit a response before an arbitration hearing scheduled for the following morning. Chiles is claiming that her right to a fair hearing was violated by the CAS in her appeal.
The paperwork also alleges a conflict of interest involving the president of the CAS arbitration panel, who has ties to the Romanian government in international legal matters.
At the time, Hamid Gharavi, the lawyer, revealed his connections, but this information did not reach the Americans.
“Jordan Chiles’ case raises a straightforward legal issue for the global community – will they allow an Olympic athlete who has consistently followed the rules to be deprived of her medal due to the unfairness in a makeshift arbitration procedure?”
Chiles’s lawyer Maurice Suh stated that the response to the question should be negative. He believes that all aspects of the Olympics, including the arbitration process, should represent fair competition.
Chiles is not only dealing with legal challenges but also receiving a barrage of negative remarks on social media.
The ruling seems unfair and is disappointing for not only Chiles but also for all those who have supported her throughout her journey.
In August, Chiles wrote on social media that the racially motivated attacks on social media are unjust and deeply painful, further exacerbating the heartbreak.
Leave a Reply