Jordan Chiles’ fight to retain her bronze medal took another sensational turn Wednesday night when the United States Olympic Committee accused the Court of Arbitration for Sport of making stunning errors in its handling of the case.
The USOPC said CAS emailed the wrong people in the U.S. organization to update them on the measures being taken against Chile, leaving them minimal time to act on them before it was ruled that Romania’s Ana Barbosu would take the bronze from the U.S. gymnast.
The USOPC said in a statement reported by USA Today that notices were sent to “incorrect email addresses” and that it took three days for CAS to contact Chris McCleary, its general counsel, after Romania filed its appeal over Chile’s scoring.
“The USOPC vigorously challenges the CAS decision due to significant procedural errors. From August 6-9, CAS sent crucial communications to incorrect email addresses at the USOPC and USAG, an error that was not corrected until August 9, three days after the filing, two days after the deadline to file objections and less than 24 hours before the hearing,” the statement said.
He added: “This deprived us of adequate time to respond meaningfully or gather the necessary evidence. We informed the CAS of our objections immediately.
‘Our objections have been validated by new evidence indicating administrative errors by the FIG (the International Gymnastics Federation) and mismanagement by the CAS, which would have been impossible to raise at the time of the rushed hearing. In short, we were denied a meaningful opportunity to be heard.
“In light of these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to ensure that Jordan Chiles receives the recognition he deserves. Our pursuit of the truth in this matter remains unwavering.”
Earlier on Wednesday, CAS responded to suggestions that there had been a conflict of interest on the panel that ruled Chiles should lose her bronze.
Hamid G. Gharavi headed the panel that decided Chiles should lose his medal at the expense of Romania’s Barbosu, but it has since emerged that Gharavi has worked with the Romanian government for about 10 years.
The CAS said: “The court condemns the scandalous statements published in some American media outlets alleging that the panel, and more particularly its chairman, were biased due to other professional commitments or for reasons of nationality.
‘As none of the parties involved in this case challenged any member of the panel during the proceedings, it can reasonably be assumed that all parties were satisfied that their case was heard by this panel. Any subsequent criticism is without foundation or merit.’
According to The New York Times, panel members must complete a conflict of interest form before reviewing any case.
The publication claimed that Gharavi had revealed his work with the Romanian government. The Times also claims that Gharavi declined to comment when asked.
U.S. Gymnastics said it was “devastated” and vowed to fight the ruling by appealing to Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court.
It is rare for CAS decisions to be overturned, but the tone used by the U.S. Olympic Committee on Wednesday night underscores how strongly they believe they have a case.
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