USA Gymnastics officials say an arbitration panel will not reconsider a decision asking gymnast Jordan Chiles to return the bronze medal she won at the Paris Olympics.
Last week, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) overturned a floor appeal by Chiles’ coach, which had initially been upheld and had moved her from fifth to third in the floor exercise in Paris. The Cas’ decision came after the Romanian Olympic Committee said the appeal came four seconds after the one-minute time limit for scoring reviews. As a result, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said Romania’s Ana Barbosu had been promoted to third place and Chiles had been dropped to fifth. The IOC said Chiles was stripped of her medal as a result.
On Sunday, USA Gymnastics disputed the timing, saying the agency had provided video evidence to CAS showing Team USA coach Cecile Landi first filed an appeal 13 seconds before the deadline. That appeal has now been denied.
USA Gymnastics says it will continue its efforts to ensure Chiles retains the medal.
“USA Gymnastics has been notified [by Cas] on Monday that their rules do not allow for reconsideration of an arbitral award, even when compelling new evidence is presented,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue all possible avenues and appeals, including before the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the correct score, placement and medal issuance for Jordan.”
The dispute over such minor details can lead to a legal battle that could last months or years over the outcomes of the gymnastics competitions.
The IOC said it would contact the USOPC about returning Chiles’ bronze and would work with the Romanian Olympic Committee to discuss a redistribution ceremony in Barbosu’s honor. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won gold and the U.S.’s Simone Biles was the silver medalist. The Romanian team had requested that the bronze medals be shared so Chiles could keep her bronze.
Any appeal may be lodged with the Swiss Supreme Court, the Swiss Criminal Tribunal or the European Court of Human Rights.
On Monday night, rapper Flavor Flav — who is a prominent celebrity supporter of the 2024 Olympic contenders — posted on X that he had won a glittering bronze medal for Chiles as a potential replacement as the U.S. fights “the powers that be.”
“Thank you. Means the world,” Chiles’ mother, Gina, wrote on X. “She’s not on socials right now as you can imagine. I’ll share this with her.”