Fight for Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal Not Over as USA Gymnastics Has Final Chance to Resolve Controversy

The 2024 Paris Olympics will be unforgettable for Jordan Chiles– for all the wrong reasons. Remember how the American gymnast originally scored a 13.666 in the floor exercise finals and settled for fifth place? Just when it looked like an Olympic medal had slipped away once again, coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi challenged the score, requesting a review of Chiles’ routine. In a shocking twist that would put any thriller movie’s climax to shame, Chiles’s score was bumped up to 13.766, moving her into third place and bumping Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who had scored 13.700, off the podium.

But Chiles’s celebration was short-lived. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation swiftly appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), sparking a fierce battle that saw the bronze medal taken from Chiles and returned to Barbosu. The reallocation of the medal seemed to settle the matter. Or did it?

Just when it seemed like the dust had finally settled, USA Gymnastics dropped a bombshell. On August 12, they issued a statement announcing their intention to appeal the decision, only to be met with a crushing response from CAS: the medal would not be returned to Jordan Chiles. “USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” the statement read.

Now there’s a new possible development. A Redditor shared, “I’ve been watching for the last week or so to see if/when USOPC and/or USAG file an appeal for Jordan. I saw in another thread that it was confirmed that the final day to do so is tomorrow…09/16. Tell me though, does it make anyone else nervous to think that they are seemingly waiting til the last minute to make an appeal for a situation that specifically stems from an appeal supposedly being filed just barely too late?!?”

We need to take this with a pinch of salt since these are not verifiable details. However, it seems like Chiles and Team USA will not back down. They may have yet another chance to challenge CAS’s decision.

As per the rules, if the Panel disputes the regular CAS procedure, here’s what’s next:

1. 1. The Panel may set a time limit for the claimant to bring the case before the CAS according to Articles R38 and R48 of the Code of Sports-related Arbitration or provide for referral on its own motion (“ex officio referral”). In either case, the time limits laid down by the statutes or regulations of the bodies the decision of which is being challenged or by Article R49 of the Code of Sports-related Arbitration do not apply.
   2. Depending on the nature of the case, the CAS Court Office shall assign the arbitration to the Ordinary Arbitration Division or to the Appeals Arbitration Division
   3. The Panel formed during the OG remains assigned to the resolution of the dispute for purposes of regular CAS procedure and, by submitting to the present Rules, the parties waive any provision to the contrary in the Code of Sports-related Arbitration or in their agreement concerning the number of arbitrators and the way in which the Panel is formed.
   4. In the event of ex officio referral, the CAS Court Office shall take any appropriate action which may facilitate the initiation of the regular CAS procedure, having special regard to the present provision.

Additionally, in August, Team USA decided to approach the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which takes appeals from rulings made by arbitral tribunals like the CAS. But why the Swiss Federal Tribunal?

Now, CAS’s decisions are considered final according to its rules, despite new evidence after the verdict. That’s why Team USA will need to look at alternate routes to deal with the issue. It may be a rare occurrence, but the Swiss Federal Tribunal has overturned the CAS’s decisions in the past. Take a 2012 incident, for instance, where a decision regarding Brazilian soccer player, Francelino da Silva Matuzalem, was annulled. Then in 2020, they annulled a ban on Chinese swimmer Sun Yang.

Now, fans can only wait and see what takes place next. Similarly, Chiles’s wait has been painfully long, and she has spoken about how it has affected her mental health. However, her country has her back as she received a medal no one has!

Flavor Flav kept a promise to his favorite gymnast, Jordan Chiles

After the 23-year-old was stripped of her bronze medal, an unlikely promise led to a wholesome moment. Flavor Flav has been a vocal supporter of Team USA throughout the Olympics. Amid the CAS ruling, the rapper gave her a shoutout on August 11 on X.

“Ayyy YOOOO @ChilesJordan,,, imma make you a BRONZE CLOCK NECKLACE,,, and that’s something NO ONE else has,” the rapper and official Team USA water polo hype man wrote on X Aug. 11. “Hit me up my girl,,, I gotchu,!!!“

And it looks like he stayed true to his promise. During the MTV Video Music Awards on September 11, the duo made their way onto the stage. In an iconic moment between them, he presented her with the bronze clock.

“I know they tried to take your medal away from you,” the die-hard Jordan Chiles fan stated. “I got you something that they can’t take away from you.” After nearly a month of playing the waiting game, she finally received a bronze.

Will USA Gymnastics succeed in turning her Paris heartbreak into a moment of joy? We will just have to wait and watch.