Jordan Chiles and her legal team are appealing a ruling that denied her a bronze medal in the women's gymnastics floor routine final, and they're using footage from Simone Biles' Netflix docuseries as evidence.
Jordan Chiles' quest to reclaim her Olympic bronze medal has taken a significant turn, with her legal team submitting footage from Simone Biles' Netflix docuseries as evidence in an appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.
Chiles, who was initially awarded the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics but later lost it following an appeal by U.S. coaches, claims that the request for the review that bumped her score up was not submitted past the deadline. Her lawyers have submitted footage from Biles' docuseries that they allege proves this.
Jordan Chiles' Olympic Bronze Medal Appeal Heats Up with New Netflix Docuseries Footage
According to multiple reports, the documents filed in the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland on Monday state that the inquiry by U.S. coach Cecile Landy came 49 seconds after the result came in, which falls within the 60-second window granted for appeals.
Chiles' lawyers argue that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which made the final ruling, violated her "right to be heard" by refusing to consider the video evidence. They also claim that CAS president Hamid G. Gharavi had a conflict of interest, as he had close ties to Romania, the country that had initially won the bronze medal.
Jordan Chiles' Olympic Bronze Medal Appeal Heats Up with New Netflix Docuseries Footage
Chiles has publicly expressed her belief that she is facing racially motivated attacks, and has received support from Biles, who initially stood on the all-black podium with Chiles and Brazilian Rebecca Andrade.
The controversy has sparked international outrage, with the Center of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) releasing a joint statement condemning the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the judging crew for the outcome.
Jordan Chiles' Olympic Bronze Medal Appeal Heats Up with New Netflix Docuseries Footage
Romania's Nadia Comaneci and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu have also condemned the decision.
On the final day of the Olympics, CAS ruled that the inquiry had been improperly granted, and the FIG ordered Chiles to return the medal. Chiles is only the third gymnast in history to have an Olympic medal stripped.
Meanwhile, Barbosu received her own official bronze medal and expressed sympathy for both Chiles and Andrade.
The outcome of Chiles' appeal will be closely watched as it has implications for the fairness and integrity of Olympic judging. It also highlights the increasingly important role of video evidence in sports adjudication.
