The seasonal chills have crept in, but Jordan Chiles’ medal controversy is still bringing the heat. The drama that started in August last year is back in the spotlight as the American gymnast has gone head-to-head with Romanian rival Ana Barbosu—this time in the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. And let’s say, Chiles isn’t holding back.

Since September, Chiles and Team USA had been disappointed with the CAS ruling that revoked her third place and Olympic bronze medal claiming that her appeal came after the time window shut. On NBC’s Today show in November, she called out the decision, “Everything was in the time that it needed to be, and for them to come back and say that it was four seconds late, when we’ve had proof, we’ve had everything that really can show that everything was right.”

No wonder Jordan Chiles has now submitted two additional briefs to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. But to the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), and the CAS’s arguments, Chiles has more to say. Now, according to a latest update as per Law 360 on January 23, Jordan Chiles informed the Swiss court that Dr. Hamid D. Gharavi shouldn’t have been on the three-arbitrator panel that made the decision. This is on the grounds of conflict of interest because Dr. Gharavi, who was the president of the CAS panel, is a lawyer who has represented Romanian interests for years.

Jordan Chiles also cited that Dr. Gharavi represents Romania in three investor-state arbitrations before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. And all these details came to light after the translated version of her January 7 brief clarified her claims, “[T]he great media attention and public criticism of Dr. Gharavi and the CAS Ad hoc Division illustrate how obvious the appearance of his bias was from the perspective of uninvolved third parties.”

The document going around further cited that these two factors, the media attention, and public criticism “also show how serious the procedural deficiencies in the conduct of the proceedings were, which completely denied the applicant an effective defense with suitable evidence and her right to an independent and impartial arbitral tribunal, leading to a materially grossly incorrect decision.”

Law 360 reports that Jordan Chiles presented strong rebuttals against arguments from Ana Barbosu and the Romanian Gymnastics Federation for claiming that the gymnast was informed of Gharavi’s connections to Romania a day before the CAS revoked her floor exercise bronze medal. Moreover, she pointed the court toward evidence showing that Dr. Gharavi’s acceptance and independence form was never delivered to USA Gymnastics’ counsel. This detail is a major crack in the opposition’s argument and could be key in Chiles’ fight.

Back in November, Jordan Chiles confirmed while speaking on the Today show that she is here to tell her truth and that everything she’s done so far was correct. We must say that her courage and determination to take a stand for herself are exceptional. This might be her last chance to present her story, as the only body able to review CAS’s decisions on restricted procedural grounds is the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

Top Comment by Miranda

Personal and it’s almost embarrassing. If it was Gold, I might understand.

Share your take

Debate

Thus, we are witnessing this fearless side of Jordan Chiles as she takes matters into her own hands. Amid this battle, Jordan Chiles has continued to prove her mettle as a gymnast this NCAA season. No wonder she became the second gymnast to bag a perfect ten score so far. Here’s a little recap of her 2025 NCAA stint.

Jordan Chiles is earning heaps of praise for the UCLA Bruins

Jordan Chiles bagged her first perfect 10 score this season on the bars, in the meet against Maryland. Chiles move from piked Tchakev to the Pak seamlessly.  It was a flawless sight to watch. This gave them a great advantage as the No. 11 UCLA Bruins defeated Maryland 197.550-194.850 on Saturday.

Given this, Jordan Chiles’ UCLA coach, Janelle McDonald even patted her on the back for being exceptional this year, “She’s [Jordan Chiles] only been back with us for a few weeks, but she has this ability to just elevate the room around her. She brings this energy and this passion to the table each and every day that inspires the people around her. And it’s really cool this year seeing that she’s taken all the experiences that she’s had and brought it in as a leadership role.” 

But do you think she will experience double joy soon? The one of her NCAA success and another of her legal win? Let us know below!