By Will Graves / Associated Pres
(Source: Daytona Times)
PARIS — U.S. Olympic officials are appealing a court ruling that resulted in American gymnast Jordan Chiles being asked to return the bronze medal she won in the Paris Olympics floor exercise.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) voided an on floor appeal by Chiles’ coach that vaulted her to third, saying the appeal came 4 seconds beyond the 1-minute time limit for scoring inquiries.
USA Gymnastics disputed the timing, saying in a statement Aug. 11 that the agency submitted video evidence to CAS that showed coach Cecile Landi first appealed 13 seconds before the deadline.
“The time-stamped, video evidence submitted by USA Gymnastics Sunday evening shows Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted.”
The dispute over such minute details sets up what could be a months- or years-long legal battle over the gymnastics scores.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said it would respect the court’s decision and elevate Ana Barbosu of Romania to third.
“We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed,” the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee statement said.
It was unclear the exact process the appeal would take first. The two potential places the USOPC could take the appeal would be to Switzerland’s highest court, the Swiss Tribunal, or the European Court of Human Rights.
Associated Press writer Stephen McGrath and AP Sports Writers Eddie Pells and Graham Dunbar contributed to this report.
