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After more than 17 months, American gymnast Jordan Chiles achieved a legal victory following the loss of one of her Olympic medals.
On Thursday, the Swiss Federal Court, Switzerland’s highest court, announced approval of Chiles’ appeal. The case regarding Chiles’ bronze medal will now return to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where it will be re-examined. The court cited video evidence that apparently shows Chiles’ coach inquiring about the star gymnast’s score within the required time limit.
The move allows Chiles to resolve a dispute marred by errors that cost him the bronze medal in floor exercises at the 2024 Summer Games.
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Jordan Chiles of Team USA stands on the podium for the Gymnastics – Women’s All-Around at Parque Deportivo Estadio Nacional on day three of Santiago, 2023 Pan American Games on October 23, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Medal reattributions have always surfaced after cases of doping or other cheating, but Chiles’ dispute centered on an apparent error by the International Gymnastics Federation, the sport’s governing body.
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Chiles’ appeal questioning the independence of the arbitration panel’s chair was not accepted.
Maurice Suh, a member of Chiles’ legal team, said in a statement that his client remains committed to retaining the bronze medal she was awarded at the Paris Olympics.
Jordan Chiles of the United States poses for a photo with his gold and bronze medals after the third day of the gymnastics event finals during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on August 5, 2024 in Paris, France. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports)
“We are pleased that the Swiss Federal Court has righted a wrong and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Suh said in a statement obtained by USA Today. “As the Court recognized, there is “conclusive” video evidence that Jordan was the rightful winner of the bronze medal.
“We also appreciate that the Court recognized that ‘extraordinary time pressures’ and failures in notice prevented Jordan from presenting this important evidence in August 2024. We appreciate that Jordan will have a full and fair opportunity to defend his bronze medal.”
USA Gymnastics also reacted to the latest developments in the case, saying in a statement that the organization hopes Chile will have a “fair” trial.
“We are pleased that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has recognized the flaws in the original process and that Jordan’s case can now be heard including all relevant evidence. We look forward to a fair arbitration that will include the clear evidence proving that the investigation into Jordan’s score was filed in less than one minute, as required by the FIG rules.”
Jordan Chiles of the United States competes on the uneven bars during the women’s artistic gymnastics team final on Bercy Arena during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France. (Alvaro Diaz/Europa Press via Getty Images)
The date for the new CAS hearing has not been set, but the arbitration body said it would follow the court’s decision.
“Following the SFT decision, the CAS can now provide in-depth judicial review of the new evidence that has since been made available,” the CAS said in its statement.
