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After more than 17 months, American gymnast Jordan Chiles secured a legal victory following the loss of one of her Olympic medals.
On Thursday, the Swiss Federal Court, Switzerland’s highest court, announced the approval of Chile’s appeal. The case over Chile’s bronze medal will now return to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) where it will be reconsidered. The court cited video evidence that appears to show Chiles’ coach making an inquiry about the star gymnast’s score within the required time frame.
The ruling moves Chiles toward resolving a dispute marked by errors that cost her the floor exercise bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Games.
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Jordan Chiles of Team United States stands on the podium for Gymnastics – Women’s All-Around at Parque Deportivo Estadio Nacional on Day 3 of the Santiago, 2023 Pan Am Games on October 23, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Medal redistributions have historically emerged following doping or other cheating cases, but Chiles’ dispute centered on an apparent error by the International Gymnastics Federation – the sport’s governing body.
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Chile’s appeal, questioning the independence of the head of the arbitration panel, was not accepted.
Maurice Suh, a member of Chile’s legal team, said in a statement that his client remains determined to keep 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 medal after day three of the gymnastics finals at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics on August 5, 2024 in Paris, France. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports)
“We are pleased that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted a mistake and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Suh said in a statement obtained by USA Today. “As the court acknowledged, there is ‘overwhelming’ video evidence that Jordan was the rightful winner of the bronze medal.
“We also appreciate the court’s acknowledgment that ‘extraordinary time pressure’ and reporting errors prevented Jordan from presenting this important evidence in August 2024. We appreciate that Jordan will receive a full and fair opportunity to defend his bronze medal.”
USA Gymnastics also responded to the latest developments in the case, saying in a statement that the organization looks forward to Chiles getting a “fair” hearing.
“We are pleased that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court recognized the errors in the initial process and that Jordan’s case can now be heard including all relevant evidence. We look forward to a fair arbitration that includes the clear evidence proving that the investigation into Jordan’s score was submitted well within one minute as required by the FIG rules.”
Jordan Chiles of the United States competes in the uneven bars during the women’s artistic gymnastics team final at Bercy Arena during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France. (Alvaro Diaz/Europa Press via Getty Images)
A date for the new CAS hearing has not been set, but the arbitration body said it will follow the court’s ruling.
“Following the SFT decision, CAS can now ensure a thorough judicial review of the new evidence that has since been made available,” CAS said in its statement.
