U.S. Olympic Gymnast Jordan Chiles Says She’s Been Subject Of Racist Attacks After Appealing Her Olympic Medal Reversal

U.S. Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles has filed an appeal to overturn the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision that reversed her bronze medal standing. The medal was awarded to Ana Barbosu, a Romanian gymnast. 

The contentious ruling to give the bronze medal to Barbosu became a major drama for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Chiles had a score of 13.766, whereas Barbosu had a score of 13.700, only separating the two by a hair.

On Aug. 5, the day of the floor routine, Barbouso was ahead of Chiles, with a score of 13.700 and Chiles at 13.666. Team USA coach Cecile Landi submitted an inquiry claiming that the judges overlooked a technical skill in Chiles’ routine, which, if included, would raise her score. 

The judges ruled in favor of Chiles, and her score was raised .066 above Barbouso. At the medal ceremony, the standings were Rebeca Andrade for gold, Simone Biles for silver and Chiles for bronze, leading an iconic photograph where Biles and Chiles bowed down to Andrade. 

It was a historic moment, marking the first three black women to sweep the podium in an Olympic gymnastics event. However, after the ceremony, Romania contested the medal, and further investigation by CAS overturned the decision.

Weeks later, the battle for the bronze medal has taken a new turn – Chiles filed an appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, which reviews CAS rulings under specific circumstances, such as violations of procedural fairness, improper jurisdiction, breaches of due process, or incompatibility with Swiss public policy. 

Chiles’s attorneys stated in a press release that the procedures from beginning to end were inherently unjust, leading unsurprisingly to an unfair outcome.

The appeal has two main points: 1. The overturning of Chile’s bronze medal was made from bias due to the role of Dr. Hamid G. Gharavi, the President of CAS, who has legal ties to Romania. 2. A violation of the athlete’s “right to be heard” occurred when she “refused to consider the video evidence that showed her inquiry was submitted on time,” her attorney argued in a press release from late September. 

The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution first brought the legal ties between Gharavi and Romania to the public’s attention.

“Chiles believes in competing fairly and with integrity and holding these organizations to the standards and rules that were established to ensure fairness,” read the filing, supported by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

Chiles has said that she has received continuous racist abuse from fans online since she has mounted her appeal.

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