USA Gymnastics officials have made it clear that an arbitration panel will not be reconsidering its decision regarding Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal from the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics. Despite efforts from USA Gymnastics to allow Chiles to keep her medal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has stated that their rules do not permit the reconsideration of an arbitral award, even with new evidence.
The dispute arose when an on-floor appeal from Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, was deemed to have been made 4 seconds past the one-minute time limit for scoring inquiries. USA Gymnastics argued that they had submitted video evidence to CAS showing that the appeal was actually made 13 seconds before the deadline, but CAS ultimately ruled in favor of the time limit.
As a result of this decision, Ana Barbosu of Romania has been elevated to third place, and the International Olympic Committee has confirmed the reallocation of the bronze medal. The IOC has stated that they will be coordinating with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee for the return of Chiles’ medal and will work with the Romanian Olympic Committee to arrange a ceremony honoring Barbosu.
This ruling has set the stage for a potential lengthy legal battle over the scoring in gymnastics competitions. The appeal process may progress to Switzerland’s highest court, the Swiss Tribunal, or even the European Court of Human Rights, indicating that this issue is far from being resolved.
In the original standings, Rebeca Andrade of Brazil secured the gold medal, with Simone Biles of the U.S. claiming the silver. Despite the disappointment and ongoing efforts from USA Gymnastics, it seems that the decision regarding Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal is final, leaving the gymnastics community with a complex and contentious situation to navigate.
