The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled against a request to revisit its decision that cost US gymnast Jordan Chiles an Olympic bronze medal in floor exercise. This decision comes despite new evidence presented by USA Gymnastics.
Initially, Chiles secured the bronze after a challenge by Team USA regarding the difficulty of her routine was accepted, denying Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu the medal. However, CAS later rescinded this re-evaluation, claiming that Team USA’s appeal was submitted four seconds past the deadline. Consequently, the International Olympic Committee awarded the medal to Barbosu.
The controversy intensified when USA Gymnastics presented a letter and video evidence to CAS on Sunday. The video showed that team coach Cecile Landi’s request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the score was posted, adhering to the one-minute deadline set by the International Gymnastics Federation. Additionally, Landi filed a second statement 55 seconds after the initial score posting. USA Gymnastics emphasized that the video footage used to support their claim was not available at the time of the initial CAS decision, preventing them from submitting it during the original hearing.
USA Gymnastics attempted to have CAS reconsider its decision, citing this new video evidence as proof that the appeal was made within the required timeframe. However, on Monday, CAS denied this request.
In a statement, CAS stated that their rules do not permit reconsideration of an arbitral award, even when conclusive new evidence is presented.
Disappointed by this decision, USA Gymnastics announced they will explore further avenues to resolve the dispute in favor of Chiles, including potentially appealing to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. “We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan,” stated USA Gymnastics.
