After the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) hearing, all hope disappeared for Jordan Chiles. While the USAG vowed to take the case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, chances were slim. However, the gymnast may have just earned another chance to get her bronze medal back after the Romanian Gymnastics Federation’s (RGF) official announcement.

“Romanian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) prioritizes the mental health and the emotional stability of all three athletes Ana Maria Bărbosu, Sabrina Maneca Voinea, and Jordan Chiles,” they posted on their official Instagram page. Romania’s official gymnastics body honored the Swiss Federal Tribunal’s decision, showing its eagerness to resolve the lingering issue.

“Following the steps taken at the Swiss Federal Tribunal, RGF, through its lawyers, sent an invitation for an open dialogue to all involved parties,” they wrote on Instagram. The RGF addressed all three athletes as “amazing” and invited USA Gymnastics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) for “constructive dialogue” about the incident.

The latest development comes days after USA Gymnastics, US Olympic and the Paralympic Committee vowed to challenge CAS’ ruling at the Swiss body. In another bizarre twist, Romanian gymnast and Barbosu’s teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea also filed an appeal challenging her “out of bounds” deduction and CAS’ rejection to the Lausenne-headquarter institution.

Replays have showed Voinea was well within limits and FIG’s deduction may have been a wrong decision. However, CAS’ official press release called it a “field of play” decision that “cannot be reviewed”. As per reports, the gymnast’s score would’ve been 13.8 if not for 0.1 penalty—above Barbosu’s 13.700 and Chiles’ 13.666/13.766—making her the bronze medalist instead. Now, if the Swiss Tribunal makes a decision in the gymnast’s favor, that would essentially dash the other two gymnast’s hopes.

Nearly every side of the controversy has investigated the issue, only finding glaring oversights at every stage. The CAS was the first to expose the FIG’s mishaps after Cecile Landi appealed an inquiry inside Bercy Arena. Their ruling mentioned Landi’s appeal was four seconds late, which the USAG promptly denied by submitting “additional evidence”. 

Moreover, the FIG couldn’t identify the person who recorded the timing of Landi’s inquiry request. Neither could FIG president Donatella Sacchi verify whether Landi’s request came within the stipulated time limit. They couldn’t answer why the inquiry wasn’t stopped when the OMEGA timekeeping system indicated it came beyond the 1-minute time limit.

Compounding the controversy, the CAS panel also faced criticism after deciding to strip Jordan Chiles of her Olympic medal. Panel head Hamid G. Gharavi, who had previously represented Romania for over a decade, was scrutinized for alleged bias. Despite the turmoil, Jordan Chiles might find renewed hope thanks to the RGF’s efforts to reinstate her chances.

Did RGF’s complaint against the CAS help Jordan Chiles?

Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu, who won bronze for her floor exercise at the Paris 2024 Olympics, expressed sympathy for Jordan Chiles and her Romanian teammate Sabrina Voinea during her medal ceremony in Bucharest. Reflecting on the incident that led to Chiles losing her initial medal, Bărbosu shared, “I want to believe that the day will come when all three of us will receive a bronze medal.”

However, neither the CAS nor the Swiss Federal Tribunal considered the evidence procured after the hearing. That’s why the 23-year-old’s chances seemed low. However, the Romanian Federation dropped a bomb on August 26. “The Swiss Supreme Court (TSE) confirmed the reception of the appeal formulated by FRG and Sabrina Maneca Voinea against the decision of the Sports Arbitration Court in Lausanne,” the RGF announced on social media.

This was a massive development, as the Romanian authorities put the onus on the CAS panel. Later, the RGF argued that the decision inside Bercy Arena didn’t just affect Jordan Chiles and Ana Barbosu, but also Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who initially tied Barbosu with 13.700 on the scoreboard. Since then, the Romanian regulatory body has supported the notion of all three athletes being offered bronze. In their latest post, they reiterated the same by writing, “RGF has constantly advocated for awarding three bronze medals to these three athletes affected by the procedural and technical errors that occurred during the Paris Olympic Games floor finals.” The USAG hasn’t revealed their stance on the matter yet.

Now, since RGF suggests that the Swiss Federal Tribunal has extended an olive branch to everyone stuck in this web of errors and complexity, will this step lead to Jordan Chiles re-earning her first individual Olympic medal?

While it may be too soon to say. It won’t be an easy task to bring the CAS, IOC, USAG, and RGF under the same roof. At the end of the day, it’s undeniably a step in the right direction. What are your thoughts on this invitation by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation? Share in the comments below!