New Twist in U.S. Gymnast Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal Dispute
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
The head of a panel that voted to rescind the Olympic bronze medal for American gymnast Jordan Chiles has a potential conflict of interest in the matter, The New York Times reported Tuesday. A Romanian competitor named Ana Barbosu was ultimately awarded the medal—creating a potential issue for Hamid G. Gharavi, the head of the special tribunal convened by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who counts the Romanian government as a client. It remains unclear what led to the panel’s decision, with the court releasing a brief, one-page statement with the results of their findings. Romania originally lodged their complaint by arguing that a U.S. coach’s appeal of Chiles’ scoring came just a few seconds too late. After the panel’s decision, Chiles was knocked to fifth place, taking away her only solo medal of the 2024 games while nixing the first all-Black sweep in a gymnastics event in the modern Olympics.