Jordan Chiles appeals ‘unfair’ decision that denied him Olympic medal

CNN
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U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles’ lawyer said Monday she has filed an appeal against the decision that stripped her of her Olympic bronze medal.

Chiles was stripped of her first individual Olympic medal after the Romanian gymnastics team appealed a decision to review her final score on floor exercise to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Ultimately, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the challenge, meaning the American star’s bronze medal went to Romania’s Ana Barbosu.

Chiles has now chosen to appeal the CAS decision to the Federal Supreme Court in Switzerland – where CAS is based.

“From start to finish, the proceedings leading to the CAS panel’s decision were fundamentally unfair, and it is no surprise that they resulted in an unfair decision,” Chile’s lawyers said in a press release.

Her lawyers say CAS violated Chiles’ “right to be heard” by “refusing to consider photographic evidence that showed her inquiry was filed in a timely manner,” and that Chiles was not properly informed that the CAS arbitration panel chair had a potential conflict of interest.

“Jordan Chiles’ appeals pose an easy legal question to the international community—should everyone stand by while an Olympic athlete who did nothing but the right thing is stripped of her medal because of the fundamental injustice of an interim arbitration process? The answer to that question must be no,” said Maurice M. So, Chiles’ attorney.

“Every part of the Olympic Games, including the refereeing process, must uphold fair play,” Suh ​​added.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport told CNN it could not comment because it had not yet received notification of the appeal filed by the Swiss Federal Court.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it is determined to see Chiles get the recognition she deserves.

“Given the serious errors and negligence of CAS in handling the case and ignoring the clear evidence that Jordan deserved to win the bronze medal, we are determined to ensure that she receives the recognition she deserves,” the USOC told CNN on Monday. “Our commitment to the truth in this matter remains unwavering.”

USA Gymnastics told CNN it is not directly involved in the appeal at this point but is supporting Chiles and her team.

“The USGA is coordinating closely with Jordan and her legal team and will provide supporting documentation to the court in the ongoing pursuit of justice for Jordan,” the agency said.

“Chiles believes in fair and honest competition and holding these organizations to the standards and rules that have been put in place to ensure fairness,” the gymnast’s lawyers added Monday.