WASHINGTON — In a recent judicial review, the Court of Arbitration for Sport criticized the handling of the judging at the Paris Olympics, particularly in the women’s floor exercise event involving American gymnast Jordan Chiles. Despite the obvious mismanagement, the court confirmed that it could not award bronze medals to all three competitors: Chiles and Romanian gymnasts Ana Bărbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.
A detailed 29-page ruling outlined the reasons why Olympic authorities revoked Chiles’ first individual medal, highlighting significant errors by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The FIG was criticized for failing to properly oversee the scoring investigation filed by Chiles’ coach, which occurred just seconds after the one-minute window allowed after the performance.
On Wednesday, CAS explicitly blamed the FIG for the controversies that have overshadowed the event, noting that the situation could have been mitigated with better oversight. Romanian officials had appealed the initial decision, prompting CAS to establish a special three-judge panel to deal with controversies during the Olympics.
The panel complained that its limited review capabilities had inadvertently caused discomfort to the athletes involved. It said: “If the principles of fairness were applicable, all three gymnasts would receive a bronze medal in recognition of their commendable performances and the excessive stress endured due to procedural oversight by the FIG.”
The document also shed light on broader management issues during the floor exercise event, which resulted in gold for Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade and silver for American star Simone Biles.
The ruling has intensified ongoing debates and investigations into the events of the Paris Games, with Chiles, Bărbosu and Maneca-Voinea at the center of one of the most closely watched controversies.
“The Committee hopes that the FIG will learn from this incident to better support athletes and their teams in future competitions, ensuring that such mistakes are not repeated,” CAS noted in its conclusion.
The FIG has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.
USA Gymnastics, denied the opportunity to present new evidence to the CAS, has announced its intention to appeal to the Swiss Federal Court. However, it is well known that successful challenges in this court are exceptionally rare.
That same day, USA Gymnastics revealed that details released by the CAS indicated that Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, filed her score request 47 seconds after the score was announced, arguing that there was not enough time for a proper defense.
“We are committed to pursuing these and other issues through appeals as we continue our pursuit of justice for Jordan Chiles,” USA Gymnastics said.
In a separate statement, the CAS refuted a New York Times report alleging a potential conflict of interest involving the panel’s chairman, Hamid G. Gharavi, because of his previous legal representation for Romania. The court stressed that no bias was apparent during the arbitration, as Gharavi’s involvement had not been challenged by any party at the time.
USA Gymnastics said it has not been informed to date of any disclosures regarding Gharavi or other committee members.