Jordan Chiles is determined to fight for her Olympic legacy. On Monday, September 16, the 23-year-old Olympic gold medalist took her case to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, filing an appeal through her legal team to overturn a ruling that stripped her of a bronze medal in the women’s gymnastics floor event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The controversial decision, handed down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), awarded the bronze to Romanian gymnast Ana B?rbosu instead, sparking outrage from Chiles and her supporters.
In a statement accompanying the appeal, Chiles’ lawyers argued that the CAS had violated her “fundamental right to be heard” by disregarding crucial video evidence that, according to them, proved Chiles’ inquiry into her score was submitted on time. This directly contradicted CAS’s findings, which claimed her coach’s inquiry was filed late, leading to the decision to strip her of the medal.
Furthermore, the appeal raised serious concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving CAS president Hamid G. Gharavi. According to the press release, Gharavi had represented Romania as legal counsel for nearly a decade and was actively doing so during the 2024 Olympic Games. Chiles’ legal team claims that she was never informed of Gharavi’s involvement with Romania before the arbitration, which they argue undermines the fairness of the ruling.
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“Jordan Chiles’ appeal presents a straightforward legal question to the international community: will we stand by while an Olympic athlete who has done everything right is unjustly stripped of her medal because of fundamental unfairness in an ad-hoc arbitration process?” said Maurice M. Suh, Chiles’ counsel. “The answer should be no. The Olympic Games, including the arbitration process, must embody the principles of fair play.”
Chiles’ fight for justice has garnered widespread support. Both the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and USA Gymnastics (USAG) have publicly backed her appeal. USAG released a statement on Monday, emphasizing their coordinated efforts with Chiles and her legal team to pursue what they called “justice” for the gymnast.
“USA Gymnastics supports the appeal submitted by Jordan Chiles to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. We made a collective decision to have Jordan lead the initial filing, and we are fully aligned with her legal team in the continued pursuit of fairness and accountability,” read the statement from USAG. The organization also confirmed plans to file additional documents in support of Chiles as the legal process unfolds.
The controversy began during the women’s individual floor exercise competition on August 5, when Chiles originally finished in fifth place. However, her coach immediately filed an appeal, citing a scoring error. After the appeal was upheld, Chiles was awarded the bronze medal. But following a subsequent appeal by the Romanian gymnastics team, CAS intervened, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordered Chiles to return the bronze medal just days later, on August 11.
The CAS decision was based on the assertion that Chiles’ coach had submitted the inquiry four seconds late, invalidating the score correction that had initially earned her the medal. Chiles has vehemently disputed this finding, stating that video footage proved the inquiry was made within the required time frame. Despite this evidence, CAS ruled against her, leading to a series of back-and-forth appeals between Chiles and the Olympic committees.
In a heartfelt statement shared on Instagram on August 15, Chiles expressed her devastation over the decision. “While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I received the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away,” she wrote. Chiles went on to say she had faith in USAG’s appeal, which she believed provided “conclusive evidence” that her score followed all the rules. However, the appeal was ultimately unsuccessful.
“This decision feels unjust and is a significant blow, not just to me but to everyone who has supported my journey,” Chiles said in her statement. The post resonated deeply with her fans and fellow athletes, many of whom voiced their solidarity with the gymnast.
As Chiles continues her legal battle in Switzerland, she has made it clear that she won’t back down from defending her Olympic achievement. With the support of major sports organizations and the gymnastics community, she remains hopeful that the Swiss court will reverse the CAS decision and restore her place on the Olympic podium.
