On August 5, 2024, Jordan Chiles joined Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade on the podium as the floor exercise finals winner at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, her world came crashing down when an international uproar challenged the judge’s decision to bump up Chiles’ score to 13.766. Ultimately, the Court of Arbitration for Sports stripped the 23-year-old of her Olympic bronze.
But, just as it seemed that the gymnast was ready to move on from the controversy, she’s added yet another twist to the saga. USA Gymnastics had hinted about moving to the Swiss Tribunal to challenge and possibly overturn CAS’s decision. Yet, it seems Chiles has decided to make that move on her own accord.
What’s more? Maurice Suh, who helped Nike win against Odell Beckham Jr.’s $20 million lawsuit, is in Chiles’ corner. On September 16, Business Wire reported that Jordan Chiles had filed an appeal with the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. The appeal urged the court to overturn CAS’s verdict on multiple grounds.
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, the law firm where Maurice Suh is a partner, helped the two-time Olympian file the appeal. The appeal argued that the CAS had denied the gymnast’s “right to be heard” by refusing to consider subsequent evidence secured after the hearing. The CAS found that Jordan Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi raised the inquiry four seconds after the one-minute time limit.
However, the appeal explained that the video evidence directly contradicts those findings, showing Landi wasn’t late. Secondly, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher also raised concerns about Hamid G. Gharavi in their appeal. Gharavi chaired the panel that awarded the Olympic medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barboasu. Although Barbosu originally earned third place, the scores were changed after Landi’s inquiry.
However, news surfaced that Gharavi has served as legal counsel for Romania in international courts for the last decade. Hence, Jordan Chiles’ appeal argues that the CAS panel president couldn’t have been based during the ruling. “Every part of the Olympics, including the arbitration process, should stand for fair play,” Suh said in a statement after filing the appeal. However, this raises another question.
Did the negotiations for the Jordan Chiles controversy fall through?
Before the Paris 2024 team gold medallist filed her appeal, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation also challenged the CAS ruling. Their aim was for Anna Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea of Team Romania to earn joint bronze medals. They also provided evidence that Maneca-Voinea stayed inside the bounds and didn’t deserve the point deduction that put her in fifth place.
However, the CAS saw it differently and dismissed Maneca-Voinea’s case. However, after the RGF’s appeal, the Swiss Tribunal urged all parties to come to an agreement and to put an end to the controversy. “RGF has constantly advocated for awarding three bronze medals to these three athletes,” the gymnastics body wrote on Instagram.
However, Jordan Chiles filling her appeal has clouded the entire scenario. USAG has voiced its support for the gymnastics icon. “USA Gymnastics supports the appeal submitted today by Jordan Chiles at the Swiss Federal Tribunal as we made a collective, strategic decision to have Jordan lead the initial filing,” they wrote in a statement.
However, the latest development hints that nothing concrete came following the Swiss Tribunal’s decision. Will Jordan Chiles, backed by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and USAG, finally succeed in putting the controversy to rest? Only time will tell.
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