US gymnast Chiles takes bronze medal fight to Swiss court
US gymnast Jordan Chiles is taking her legal fight for a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
Chiles was initially ranked fifth in the final of the women’s floor event in the French capital this summer but upgraded to third after her coach requested a review of her routine.
Romania appealed on the grounds that the US request was lodged four seconds too late and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) agreed, handing the bronze to Ana Barbosu.
Cas refused to reconsider after Chiles and her team argued that the panel had ignored video evidence that proved the request had been made in time.
So the 23-year-old is taking her case to the highest court in Switzerland, where Cas is based, in her latest bid to have her medal reinstated.
Cas last month angrily dismissed suggestions that the panel which ruled on the case had links to Romania, calling them “outrageous statements published in certain US media”.
USA Gymnastics said it had been unable to raise objections about the make-up of the panel because Cas had sent the files to the wrong email address.
Chiles, who won team gold at the Paris Olympics, revealed this week that she had been the subject of online racist abuse in the wake of the episode.
“To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful,” she said.
“I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”
It is not the first time that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has been asked to overturn a Cas verdict.
The court rejected an appeal by South African middle distance runner Caster Semenya after she contested World Athletics’ rules on testosterone levels in female athletes.
Semenya later won a challenge to that decision at the European Court of Human Rights.