Jordan Chiles seeks justice in Swiss court to reclaim Olympic bronze medal she was forced to give up

PARIS, FRANCE: Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles is making headlines again as she appeals to a Switzerland court to overturn a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that stripped the gymnast of an Olympics bronze medal. 

The dispute over Chiles' third-place finish in the individual floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics has entered a dramatic new phase.

Jordan Chiles' score upgrade reversed by Romanian appeal

Originally placed fifth, Jordan Chiles saw her score bumped to bronze after a successful appeal by US coach Cecile Landi raised her marks by one-tenth to third place behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade and fellow American Simone Biles. 

The Romanian Athletic Commission filed an appeal challenging the scores that had originally placed their athlete, Ana Barbosu, off the medal stand. This Romanian appeal resulted in the US challenge being deemed invalid due to a timing error—filed four seconds too late. Consequently, the decision was reversed, awarding the bronze to Barbosu and leaving Chiles with only one medal from the Paris Olympics, which was the gold medal in the team competition.

USA Gymnastics claims video evidence supports appeal

The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to revoke Jordan Chiles' medal has sparked a new legal fight. The American gymnast, who has recently returned to the public eye with appearances in New York City, is basing her appeal on several grounds, including a "lack of jurisdiction" and a "violation of elementary procedural rules," as outlined on the CAS website.

USA Gymnastics contends that their appeal is supported by video evidence showing the inquiry into Chiles' score began 47 seconds after her score was posted, which was 13 seconds before the deadline, as reported by The Washington Post. This video has yet to be made public.

Jordan Chiles gifted bronze clock by rapper Flava Flav

Jordan Chiles made a notable appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards where she co-presented an award alongside rapper Flava Flav. Before presenting an award, Flava Flav gifted Chiles a bronze clock, emphasizing it was "something they can’t take away from you."

The US appeal also claims that the CAS did not contact them until the day before the August 10 hearing when Chiles officially lost her medal.

Jordan Chiles speaks out after being stripped of Olympic bronze medal

Previously Jordan Chiles opened up about the emotional toll of the controversial bronze medal incident at the 2024 Paris Olympics during the Forbes Power Women’s Summit on 11 September 2024. Fighting back tears, Chiles expressed feelings of abandonment after being stripped of her medal following a back-and-forth with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“The biggest thing that was taken from me was that it was the recognition of who I was, not just my sport, but the person I am,” Chiles said. “To me, everything that has gone on, it’s not about the medal, it’s about my skin color. It’s about the fact that there were things that have led up to this position of being an athlete, and I felt like everything has been stripped.”