Jordan Chiles’ medal drama turns ugly as Team USA release damning statement accusing court of shock mistakes

TEAM USA have accused the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) of emailing the wrong people as they decided to strip Jordan Chiles of her Olympic bronze medal.

Chiles, 23, initially earned a spot on the podium with her performance in the women’s floor final.

Getty

Getty

Following an initial fifth-place finish she was catapulted to third following an appeal by United States coach Cecile Landi.

It was later decided that Chiles’ initial score would stand , however, when CAS ruled that Team USA ‘s appeal had been lodged four seconds after the deadline – meaning that Romania’s Ana Barbosu would instead claim bronze.

After the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordered a “devastated” Chiles to hand back her medal, the USA Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) confirmed that they would be appealing the decision.

In an official statement, as per USA Today, the USOPC have since outlined shocking allegations regarding CAS’ handling of the situation.

“The USOPC strongly contests the CAS decision due to significant procedural errors,” they began.

“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.

“This deprived us of adequate time to respond meaningfully or gather necessary evidence. We informed CAS of our objections immediately.

“Our objections have since been validated by new evidence indicating administrative errors by FIG (The International Gymnastics Federation) and mishandlings by CAS, which would have been impossible to raise at the time of the rushed hearing.

“In short, we were denied a meaningful opportunity to be heard.”

The USOPC then reiterated their commitment to challenging the decision.

“Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to ensure Jordan Chiles receives the recognition she deserves,” their statement continued.

“Our pursuit of truth in this matter remains unwavering.”

In another shocking twist, CAS were forced to hit back at separate allegations of a conflict of interest, after it emerged that chairman of the judging panel Hamid G. Gharavi had worked for the Romanian government for around 10 years.

“The court condemns the outrageous statements published in certain US media alleging that the panel, and more particularly its chairman, was biased due to other professional engagements or for reasons of nationality,” the rebuttal began.

‘WITHOUT FOUNDATION OR MERIT’

“As none of the parties involved in this case has challenged any panel member during the procedure, it can reasonably be assumed that all parties were satisfied to have their case heard by this panel.

“Any subsequent criticism is without foundation or merit.”

As per The New York Times , Gharavi had disclosed his former Romanian government ties prior to the event.

Senior figures within US gymnastics have rallied around Chiles since she announced that she’d be taking a break from social media in order to protest her mental wellbeing.

Simone Biles , who won silver in the floor final, wrote on social media: “Sending you so much love Jordan. Keep your chin up Olympic champ! We love you!”

While three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman blasted the decision to make Chiles hand back her bronze.