USA Gymnastics received a disheartening update on its bid to overturn a court ruling that asked American gymnast Jordan Chiles to return her Olympic bronze medal in the women's floor exercise final.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had previously ruled against USA Gymnastics' appeal to correct an officiating error and add 0.1 to Chiles' score, stating that the inquiry was lodged after the one-minute deadline, and refused to consider evidence from the American organization that supposedly proved their complaint came within the window.
“USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement.
READ MORE: Simone Biles speaks out as devastated U.S. teammate Jordan Chiles told to return medal
READ MORE: Which sports will be added to Los Angeles 2028 as Olympics get Hollywood treatment
"We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan.”
The whirlwind controversy began moments after Chiles completed her routine in the floor exercise final on August 5, initially finishing fifth with 13.666 points and kept out of the medal places by the Romania duo of Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who finished at 13.700. USA Gymnastics coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi quickly appealed her gymnast's score, claiming that Chiles was not properly rewarded for a split leap, with the judges accepting this complaint in real time and awarding Team USA the bronze.
“This is just a dream come true,” Chiles told NBC about her success. “It’s my first time ever in an event final. Like we said, it was a redemption tour, and I just wanted to come out and do the best that I could. So, this medal means everything. First event final, first event medal, like, oh my gosh! I have no words, but I’m very proud of myself.”
While Chiles erupted into celebration, Barbosu buried her face into a Romanian flag and the sport's governing bodies opted to boycott the closing ceremonies and send a formal protest to the International Gymnastics Federation and the CAS. The Swiss arbitral court delivered a ruling on August determining that Landi's inquiry came seconds after the deadline, with the International Olympic Committee also formally requesting that Chiles return the medal on Sunday.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) quickly issued a statement announcing their plans to appeal the CAS' ruling, and on the same day they submitted video evidence "conclusively establishing" that Landi's dispute was made 47 seconds after the decision, within the established windows.
Finally, on Monday afternoon, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation announced that the CAS had rejected the United States' appeal. "[CAS] stressed that during the proceedings 'it has been concluded conclusively established through the official records provided by the International Gymnastics Federation, unchallenged by any side during the proceedings' that this appeal filed by Mrs. Landi was passed late after the 1-minute limit," the Romanian Gymnastics Federation's statement read.
Most Popular
Comments / 0