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Jordan Chiles Olympic medal row gets nasty as fumed US blasts CAS over bizarre blunders: 'Our pursuit of truth…'
Jordan Chiles' battle to take her Olympic bronze medal has taken a dramatic turn as the US has accused CAS of treating her case in an incorrect manner.
Jordan Chiles' battle to take her bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games has taken a dramatic turn as the United States has accused the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) of treating her case in an incredibly incorrect manner.
This development follows CAS's decision to uphold Romania's victory and deny Team USA another medal in Paris.
Ana Barbosu had initially earned bronze before the United States challenged Chiles' difficulty being scored too low after her 540 degrees mid-air split in the floor exercise final.
USA Olympic Committee contests CAS' decision, alleges mishandling
According to the USA Olympic Committee (USOPC), CAS sent an email to incorrect individuals at the American organisation to inform them of the actions being taken against Chiles.
USOPC stated that notifications were given to “incorrect email addresses” and that the CAS took around 3 days to get in touch with its general counsel, Chris McCleary, after Romania made its plea over Chiles' score, they said in a statement obtained by the USA Today.
“The USOPC strongly contests the CAS decision due to significant procedural errors. From August 6-9, CAS sent crucial communications to erroneous email addresses at USOPC and USAG, an error not corrected until Aug. 9 - three days after filing, two days past the deadline to submit objections and less than 24 hours before the hearing.”
It continued, saying, the CAS' action deprived the US authorities of sufficient time to acquire relevant evidence or to respond constructively.
The US body further claimed that new evidence supports their objection, including “mishandlings by CAS and administrative errors by FIG (The International Gymnastics Federation)”, which they were unable to bring up at the time due to urgent hearing.
Stating that they were not given a significant chance to be heard, they are dedicated to pursuing an appeal to guarantee Jordan Chiles gets the credit she deserves. “Our pursuit of truth in this matter remains unwavering,” it added.
Notably, Hamid G. Gharavi, the penal head who determined that Chiles should forfeit her medal in favor of Barbosu, has served the Romanian government for a decade.
CAS hits back at US authorities
The fumed CAS clapped back at the US authorities earlier on Wednesday.
The CAS denounced the “outrageous statements” made in some US media outlets that the panel, and especially its chairman, was prejudiced due to their nationality or other professional obligations.
It mentioned that all parties were content with having their case considered by this panel since none of them opposed any of panel members during the proceedings. “Any subsequent criticism is without foundation or merit.”
The “devastated” USA Gymnastics has announced that it would challenge the decision by filing an appeal with the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.
Meanwhile, Chiles has remained quiet since the verdict came out on Saturday, announcing on Instagram with broken hearts emojis that she would like to stay away from social media for sometime.
