The United States is seeking justice at a higher level after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decided on Saturday evening that the bronze medal from the Olympic floor final should go to Ana Maria Bărbosu.
Jordan Chiles lost the medal and was moved down to 5th place in the standings after Romania’s appeal was accepted, as in the Olympic final, the American team’s appeal for Chiles’ starting score was not made on time, exceeding the regulatory time by just 4 seconds.
But the Americans are not giving up. They will continue, specifically to the Swiss Federal Tribunal to challenge the CAS decision regarding the bronze medal now awarded to the 18-year-old Romanian, Ana Maria Bărbosu, affiliated with Steaua Bucharest.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) will contest the decision of the IOC leaders, issuing a statement asserting that they are confident that "Chiles rightfully earned" the bronze medal.
"There were critical errors, both in the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and in the CAS process. The initial error occurred in the scoring by FIG, and the second error was during the CAS process, where USOPC was not informed or did not have adequate time to challenge the decision effectively. As a result, we were not properly represented and were not given the opportunity to fully support our case. Given these circumstances, we are determined to continue our appeal to ensure that Jordan Chiles receives the recognition she deserves.
We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this issue quickly and fairly," USOPC stated, according to the British newspaper Daily Mail.
Romania's gymnasts' lawyer during the CAS hearings, Sabin Gherdan, spoke about this legal recourse used by the US, saying that the chances of success are minimal, around a maximum of 0.5%: "The U.S. Olympics & Paralympic Committee will address the Swiss Federal Tribunal. It's about limited grounds for appeal. It's an appeal. Grounds include the finding that public order was violated, that the TAS arbitrators did not sign the decision, that they were not served with the procedural documents and did not have time to prepare for defense, that the arbitrators were incompatible. The substance of the issue is not discussed again. Only procedural aspects are discussed, which, in a certain context, could annul the arbitral decision and lead to a retrial. Statistically, only 0.5% of appeals are admitted to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. The decision is enforceable."
CAS ruled in favor of Romanian Ana Maria Bărbosu on Saturday evening, deciding that she should receive the bronze medal, with a score of 13.700, above Sabrina Voinea also with 13.700 and Jordan Chiles with 13.666. Ana Maria Bărbosu and Sabrina Voinea were separated by the execution score received.
D.A.