GENEVA (AP) — American gymnast Jordan Chiles can reclaim the bronze medal in the floor exercise from the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was stripped from her after a call-up from Romania.
The Swiss Supreme Court said on Thursday that its judges had awarded the bronze medal in the “very exceptional circumstances”. floor exercise for women back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to examine new evidence.
The outcome of an event that created a celebrated Olympic photo featuring Chiles, silver medalist Simone Biles and gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil – all women of color – rests on just a handful of seconds: Can the U.S. team prove that it made a timely appeal on Chiles’ behalf in the Olympic arena?
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The federal judges’ ruling – highly unusual in these types of cases – suggested Chiles could get back the bronze medal she was originally awarded in Paris after she challenged her assessment score.
Chiles’ third-place finish was overturned within days following an appeal by the Romanian team to the CAS Olympic Court in Paris. The medal was awarded in Bucharest the following week to Ana Maria Barbosu.
The federal court wants CAS to investigate a recording that could show that the original U.S. challenge to the assessed score was on the playing field within one minute.
“In the very exceptional circumstances of the case in question,” the Swiss Federal Tribunal said in a statement, “it is of the opinion that it is likely that the audiovisual recording of the final on August 5, 2024 will lead to a modification of the contested award in favor of the applicant (Chiles).”
The CAS said in a statement on Thursday that it “can now ensure a thorough judicial review of the new evidence that has since become available.”
The court in Lausanne, opposite the Supreme Court, opposite the home city of the Olympics, gave no timetable for the review. It will likely take at least a year to prepare and process the case before a verdict is ready.
Still, the federal court decision has given Chiles renewed hope to keep her medal and put the controversy behind her.
“We are very pleased that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted an injustice and given Jordan the opportunity she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Maurice M. Suh, part of the legal team representing Chiles, said in a statement. “As the Court recognized, there is ‘compelling’ video evidence that Jordan was the rightful winner of the bronze medal.”
Suh added that Chiles will “fight vigorously” and is grateful to be given a “full and fair opportunity to defend her bronze medal.”
USA Gymnastics commended the court for recognizing “the flaws in the initial process and allowing Jordan’s case to now be heard, including all relevant evidence.”
Chiles, now 24, has continued to live her life after facing significant online backlash – some of which was racially tinged – in the immediate aftermath.
She returned to compete collegiately at UCLA while also leaning into her burgeoning celebrity, competing in the reality competition “Dancing With the Stars,” posing for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and can currently be seen in a commercial for a female athleisure clothing line that also includes tennis icon Serena Williams and track star Sha’Carri Richardson.
Graves reported from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
