CAS denounces allegations of bias in ruling against Chiles in Paris

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has strongly criticized “outrageous statements” alleging bias in its decision to deny reconsideration of the ruling that stripped U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles of her Olympic bronze medal in favor of Romania’s Ana Barbosu.

Following a CAS ruling, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) upgraded Barbosu from fourth to third place in the Paris 2024 women’s floor final. The CAS upheld an appeal by the Romanian Olympic Committee, which argued that the U.S. team’s challenge regarding Chiles’ score exceeded the one-minute limit and should be disregarded.

USA Gymnastics sought to have CAS reconsider its decision, presenting new video evidence to prove that the challenge was made within the time limit. However, this request was denied. Reports in U.S. media suggested potential bias from the head of the CAS panel due to alleged connections with Romania.

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In a statement, CAS condemned these accusations, asserting that “none of the parties involved in this case has challenged any panel member during the procedure,” and therefore, “any subsequent criticism is without foundation or merit.”

USA Gymnastics responded by expressing strong disagreement with the CAS’s detailed decision. The controversy centers around the women’s floor final, which took place on August 5. The Romanian appeal to CAS was made on August 6, but USA Gymnastics claims they were only notified of the case on August 9, past the deadline for challenging panelists, which they attribute to CAS sending case filings to incorrect email addresses.