BATTLE FOR BRONZE
Jordan Chiles’ Olympics bronze saga soars over bombshell ‘conflict of interest’ claim as talks over medal share start
Hopes of a bronze medal for Chiles may not have completely vanished
THE ongoing saga surrounding Jordan Chiles' bronze medal win at the Paris Olympics has taken another unexpected turn.
Two-time Olympic gymnast Chiles, 23, won her second medal at the Paris games on August 5 when she placed third in the women's floor exercise final.
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This came after initially having placed fifth - prior to a successful challenge by Chiles' coach Cecile Landi claiming that she had been underscored.
However, in a dramatic twist, Chiles wound up being stripped of her bronze after a later verdict by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Their ruling stated that Team USA's challenge was placed just four seconds after the permitted one-minute window.
As such, Romania's Ana-Maria Barbosu, who had been left distraught after losing the bronze medal immediately after the event, was re-awarded the honor.
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The Romanian Gymnastics Federation later proposed that Chiles, Barbosu, and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (who controversially finished behind Barbosu with a score that has also come under scrutiny) share the bronze medal.
"The initiative to award bronze medals to all three athletes, Jordan Chiles, Ana-Maria Barbosu, and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, was proposed by the lawyers of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, with the prior approval of the Federation," they stated.
"The leadership of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation (FRG), through its representatives, took all necessary steps to reach this consensus.
"We emphasize that certain requests were made by the American side to achieve this goal, and our side consistently complied with these requests, a fact that was appreciated by the American representative."
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However, in the most recent chapter of the saga, it has been reported that the IOC's panel, which initially ruled to return the bronze to Barbosu, was led by Hamid G. Gharavi - who has ties to Romania, according to The New York Times.
In fact, Gharavi has been working at the World Bank's International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes as legal counsel for Romania.
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Unfortunately for Chiles, USA Gymnastics released a statement on Monday explaining that they had been informed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport "that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented."
They added that they intend to "pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal."
This could prove pivotal as while the SFT will not look into any fresh evidence, they do investigate "breaches of process," as per the Times.
The report also added that according to the SFT's rules, all members of panels are required to fill out "a conflict of interest form before reviewing each case."
According to the CAS, Gharavi's work with Romania had been made clear beforehand.
Gharavi did not respond to the Times' request for a comment.
While the SFT and Gharavi's position could theoretically present USA Gymnastics another opportunity to attempt to have Chiles' bronze reinstated, this may be a long shot.
Unfortunately for the US, it is uncommon for CAS rulings to be reconsidered.
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In the meantime, Chiles has opted to take a step back from social media.
"I am taking the time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you," she said in an Instagram post.
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