Dreams shattered! Jordan Chiles is full of emotions after her first live TV interview, which took place 3 months after the controversial loss of her Olympic bronze medal. She originally finished fifth in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics in August, but her coach, Cecile Landi, realized the judges had made an error in scoring the difficulty of an element in her routine. After a correction, Chiles was moved up to third place, securing the bronze.

Chiles firmly believes that video evidence from the competition proves their protest was submitted within the required 60 seconds. Despite this, the International Olympic Committee sided with the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling on the final day of the Games, claiming Landi’s protest was filed 64 seconds after the scores were posted, exceeding the one-minute deadline by four seconds.

As a result, Chiles lost the bronze, and it was awarded to Romania’s Ana Barbosu instead. Even though it’s been three months since the decision, Chiles hasn’t lost hope. During her interview, Chiles spoke with Hoda Kotb on TODAY on November 11, where she got emotional while discussing the situation. She firmly stated, “Everything was very right; everything was in the time that it needed to be,” adding that she and her team have proof of the timely submission of their protest.

With support from the USOPC and USA Gymnastics, Chiles filed an appeal in September. There she asked Switzerland’s Supreme Court to review the decision. Determined to fight for justice, Chiles is not backing down and continues to pursue her dreams, no matter the hurdles. Chiles made it clear she wouldn’t give up. “I will approach this challenge as I have others—and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done,” she said. Could the CAS ruling, which is based in Switzerland, stand up to scrutiny in Switzerland’s federal court? With specific procedural grounds for an appeal, there is a chance that Chiles could see justice after all.

Jordan Chiles takes on CAS with explosive legal appeal

Jordan Chiles’ legal team has raised two crucial issues in their appeal. The first centers around video evidence from August 11, which they argue was improperly overlooked by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In the footage, Chiles’ score is shown, and her coaches are heard discussing the protest. One coach is even heard mentioning “inquiry for Jordan” three times, all before the one-minute mark, indicating that the inquiry was submitted within the allotted time.

The second issue brought up is a potential conflict of interest involving CAS panel chair Hamid Gharavi. Chiles’ team points out that Gharavi had represented Romania for nearly a decade and was actively involved in representing the country during the arbitration process. CAS has not made any statements regarding Chiles’ appeal yet; this has kept her team and supporters eagerly anticipating a response from them.

Despite facing difficulties and obstacles, along the way, Chiles stays determined and confidently expresses, “I’ll be able to overcome this, and I’ll be able to look back and say, you know what, that was just a portion of my story, but it’s the truth.” She is determined to share her side of the story and reaffirm that her score and bronze medal were rightfully earned. “That bronze medal was given to me in the right way,” Chiles added.

While the legal battle continues, Chiles reflects on the significance of her accomplishments at the Paris Games. She had already helped Team USA secure gold, but her floor medal, her first individual Olympic medal, was “like a cherry on top.” However, winning a medal meant a lot to her since she did not expect it all initially. She is proud of being part of history by sharing the podium with Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade in a lineup where Biles won silver and Andrade clinched gold. It will be interesting to see Chiles if she returns to the Olympics for Los Angeles in 2028.