American gymnast Jordan Chiles will continue her bid to retain her bronze medal at the Paris Olympics after Switzerland’s top court sent the matter back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday.
Chile beat Romania’s Ana Maria Barbosu to the podium and won bronze after adjusting for difficulty in the floor exercise competition in Paris.
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However, Romania appealed the decision and CAS ruled in Babosu’s favor that the United States’ appeal of the score modification was only four seconds too late.
Chile’s lawyers challenged the ruling based on the video footage, which they said “clearly proved” the modified appeal was filed in a timely manner.
Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court said it was referring the case back to the CAS “so that it can re-examine the situation and take this new evidence into account.”
“In the extremely exceptional circumstances of this case, the Court considers that the audiovisual recording of the final on August 5, 2024 has the potential to lead to a modification of the contested award in favor of the applicant (Chile),” the court said.
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USA Gymnastics welcomed the decision.
“We are pleased that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court recognized the flaws in the original procedure and that Jordan’s case can now be heard with all relevant evidence included,” the federation said.
“We look forward to a fair arbitration that includes clear evidence that the investigation into Jordan’s score was initiated within one minute as required by FIFA rules.”
Switzerland’s top court rejected claims by Chiles’ lawyer that the head of the CAS panel hearing her case had a conflict of interest due to his years as a Romanian lawyer.
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