The head of the panel that decided Jordan Chiles should lose her Olympic bronze medal to a Romanian gymnast reportedly has longstanding ties with Romania's government in legal matters. Ana Barbosu was reinstated to third place at Chiles' expense following a ruling on the floor final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
Chiles had initially been boosted to third place after her coaches challenged the score during the event. Barbosu, who had been celebrating her bronze medal, was left in tears as Chiles took her place. Romania later appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where Hamid G. Gharavi, the panel's chair, had connections to the Romanian government.
New Revelations
This situation raises serious concerns about a potential conflict of interest. According to The New York Times, panel members are required to fill out a conflict of interest form before taking on any case, and it was reported that Gharavi had acknowledged his previous work with the Romanian government.
However, when The Times reached out for comment, Gharavi declined to respond.
In response to the ruling, Chiles shared four broken-heart emojis on Instagram and announced she would be stepping away from social media. Meanwhile, her sister suggested that racism played a role in the decision.
USA Gymnastics expressed its deep disappointment and has vowed to challenge the decision by appealing to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. However, it is uncommon for CAS decisions to be overturned.
Barbosu, who has reached out to Jordan Chiles on social media, will receive her bronze medal in Bucharest on Friday. A ceremony is planned for the 20-year-old in the presence of IOC representatives.
It remains unclear whether Barbosu will receive the same medal Chiles originally received or if the American gymnast has been required to return hers.
Medal Controversy Continues
Chiles initially won the bronze in the women's floor exercise at the Paris Games after her coach contested the judges' original score, leading to a revision of her score from 13.666 to 13.766.
Chiles moved up to third place, overtaking Romania's Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. This was Chiles' only individual medal of her Olympic career, adding to the gold she won in the team event in Paris and the silver from the same event in Tokyo.
Romania took the matter to CAS, arguing that the United States missed the one-minute window for submitting an inquiry, as required by the rules. Romania claimed that the U.S. exceeded this time limit by four seconds.
Following the ruling against Chiles on Saturday, the U.S. responded by claiming they had video evidence showing that coach Cecile Landi submitted the appeal 47 seconds after Chiles' initial score was posted, well within the allowed time.
Earlier on Tuesday, before the news of Gharavi's ties to Romania came to light, the organization posted on its social media platforms: "As we continue to celebrate the achievements of Team USA Gymnasts, know that we are still working full-time to seek justice for Jordan."
Meanwhile, Barbosu expressed her sympathy for Chiles in a social media statement over the weekend, saying, "Sabrina [Maneca-Voinea], Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I understand what you're going through the same."
"But I know you'll come back stronger. I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share [the] same podium. That is my true dream!
"This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation. We, athletes are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful.
"I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world."
