Gymnast Jordan Chiles has scored a big win in her quest to regain her stripped bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Thursday, the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland announced they had granted part of Chiles’ appeal and was sending her case back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for reconsideration.
“In the highly exceptional circumstances of the case in question, it considers that there is a likelihood for the audio-visual recording of the final on 5 August 2024 to lead to a modification of the contested award in favor of the applicants,” the court said in a statement.
“The CAS could consider, in the light of this audio-visual sequence, that the verbal inquiry made on behalf of Jordan Chiles had been made before the expiry of the regulatory one-minute time limit,” they wrote.
With a score of 13.666, Chiles initially came in fifth place in the women’s floor exercise final, but was bumped up to third after her coach submitted an appeal with the judges, which is standard in gymnastics.
After reviewing her routine, the judges agreed her difficulty rating had been too low, and increased Chiles’ score to 13.766, which placed her on the podium for the bronze.
However, controversy arose when Team Romania, whose gymnast Ana Bărbosu would have otherwise placed third, successfully argued that the inquiry into Chiles’ score was submitted four seconds past the one-minute deadline.
The CAS ultimately voided Team USA’s appeal and reversed Chile’s score, awarding Bărbosu the bronze instead.
Days after she was ordered to return her medal, Chiles issued a statement on social media, calling the decision “unjust” and a “significant blow not just to me but to everyone who has championed my journey.”
She then expressed her gratitude for the support she received from both USA Gymnastics and her fans, vowing to continue her fight to defend her medal.
“I will approach this challenge as I have others — and I will make every effort to ensure that justice is done,” she said.
In a statement to USA Today, Chiles’ attorney, Maurice Suh, celebrated the news that their battle had moved in a positive direction.
“We are delighted that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted a wrong and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Suh said on Thursday. “As the Court recognized, there is ‘conclusive’ video evidence that Jordan was the rightful winner of the bronze medal.
