Tue Sep 17 05:50:56 UTC 2024: ## US Gymnast Jordan Chiles Appeals to Swiss Court Over Stripped Olympic Medal
Two-time US Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles has taken her fight for a bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise at the Paris Olympics to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. Chiles initially won bronze after an appeal over the judges’ scoring of her routine, but the Romanian Olympic Committee challenged this decision, arguing the appeal was filed outside the one-minute time limit.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) sided with Romania, upholding their appeal and awarding the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu. However, Chiles’ legal team has now filed an appeal with the Swiss court, alleging a series of unfair procedures in the CAS arbitration.
The appeal argues that CAS unfairly refused to consider video evidence proving that Chiles’ inquiry regarding the scoring was submitted on time. Furthermore, it alleges a conflict of interest, pointing out that the CAS panel president, Hamid G. Gharavi, has served as legal counsel for Romania for almost a decade and was representing Romania at the time of the arbitration.
Chiles’ attorneys, in a press release, described the CAS decision as “fundamentally unfair” and resulting in an “unjust” outcome. They argue that Chiles has been denied a fair hearing and will file a separate petition seeking a retrial of the matter before CAS, allowing her to present evidence, including the video footage.
Chiles’ legal team maintains that the international community should condemn this situation, where an athlete who acted properly is stripped of her medal due to procedural flaws. They emphasize that “every part of the Olympics, including the arbitration process, should stand for fair play.”
First Piper 