Evanson: When it comes to Jordan Chiles and the elusive bronze medal...I have the answer

And you thought the Olympics were over?

If you’re a fan of the Olympic Games and still long for what was in and around Paris for roughly two weeks more than a month ago, fear not, for the games live on thanks to a couple gymnasts, their coaches, attorneys of law and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that continues to amaze — and not in a good way.

I really don’t want to rehash the Jordan Chiles incident again, but let’s just say the American gymnast didn’t medal, then medaled and lastly didn’t again in a span ranging from seconds, to minutes and now weeks.

Thing is, she wants that medal and due to such, this past Monday the Tualatin-born and former Vancouver resident, and UCLA student athlete, continued her pursuit of getting it by way of an appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland where the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) — who originally ruled in favor of the Romanian gymnastic team’s challenge — is based.

Chiles’ contention by way of her attorneys is that she wasn’t allowed due process.

“From start to finish, the procedures leading to the CAS panel’s decision were fundamentally unfair, and it is no surprise that they resulted in an unjust decision,” Chiles’ attorneys said in a press release.

Her attorneys argue CAS violated Chiles’ “right to be heard” by “refusing to consider the video evidence that showed her inquiry was submitted on time,” and that Chiles was not properly informed that the President of the CAS panel had a potential conflict of interest.

Maurice M. Suh, counsel for Chiles, went on to say that “every part of the Olympics, including the arbitration process, should stand for fair play.”

Agree, but at this point it should too stand for enough is enough.

I get it, it’s an Olympic medal. That’s not nothing by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s also far from everything, which is how it’s being treated now more than six weeks after the routine(s) that keep on giving.

It’s not gold.

It’s not silver.

It’s a bronze medal, which is, of course, given not to the winner or even second place finisher, but rather he — or in this case she — who finished third amongst the nine finalists.

That’s not meant to diminish the achievement, but rather contextualize what I’m about to suggest to the IOC: just give them both medals!

At this point it’s apparent that mistakes were made. From the original ruling, beyond to the amended one, and now however you want to categorize the current fiasco, it can all be behind us if the IOC would just acknowledge the mess of their own creation and give Chiles and Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu each a damn medal.

No one outside of Chiles, Barbosu and/or their inner circles is going to remember who won the bronze medal in the 2024 individual floor exercise competition a year, four years or a decade from now.

We’re not talking about awarding two Super Bowl winners, multiple Stanley Cups or Claret Jugs, but rather two Olympic medals — which has actually happened.

In 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi decided to end the high jump competition with both having failed to clear the 7-feet, 10-inch mark three times after both successfully cleared 7-feet, 8-inches. In lieu of a jump off, the two competitors opted to split the honor, and both left with gold medals.

Seems fair, and pretty darn easy opposed to going through Court-A, later to Court-B, and in all likelihood Court-C through Z if Chiles, Barbosu or both don’t get their way.

After the Tokyo high jump, Barshim said the following.

“For me, coming here, I know for a fact that for the performance I did, I deserve that gold,” Barshim said. “He did the same thing, so I know he deserved that gold.”

“This is beyond sport,” Barshim added. “This is the message we deliver to the young generation.”

Sounds good to me, how about you?

I’m not pointing a finger at Chiles for stringing this out, nor Barbosu who I’m sure equally desires the recognition that comes with the third-place finish and subsequent bronze medal.

I’m not even at this point really blaming the IOC.

What I’m doing is asking for all three to make easy what’s become rather complicated and give both what they desire in the interests of time, effort and most importantly sportsmanship — after all, isn’t that what the Olympics are really supposed to be about?