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Jordan Chiles Ana Barbosu Olympics dispute deepens as court slams 'outrageous statements' amid bombshell conflict of interest claims after gymnast stripped of bronze
The court that ruled USA gymnast Jordan Chiles should lose her bronze medal has slammed 'outrageous statements published in certain US media' over an alleged conflict of interest regarding its panel.
Hamid G. Gharavi led the panel that decided Chiles should lose her OIympic bronze at the expense of Romania's Ana Barbosu but it has since emerged Gharavi has worked with the Romanian government for around 10 years.
In a statement Wednesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said: 'The Cas condemns the outrageous statements published in certain US media alleging that the panel, and more particularly its chairman, was biased due to other professional engagements or for reasons of nationality.
'As none of the parties involved in this case has challenged any panel member during the procedure, it can reasonably be assumed that all parties were satisfied to have their case heard by this panel. Any subsequent criticism is without foundation or merit.'
According to The New York Times, panel members must complete a conflict of interest form before reviewing any case.
The Jordan Chiles Olympic bronze dispute took a twist over CAS 'conflict of interest' claims
Ana Barbosu is scheduled to receive the bronze taken from Chiles in Romania this week
The publication said that Gharavi had disclosed his work with the Romanian government. The Times also says Gharavi refused to comment when approached by them.
USA gymnastics said it was 'devastated' and has vowed to fight the ruling by appealing to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. It is rare, however, for CAS decisions to be overturned.
Barbosu was reinstated into third at Chiles' expense in Saturday's seismic ruling over the floor final at the Paris Games.
Chiles herself had been elevated into third - over Barbosu - when her coaches appealed her score that had her fifth during the event. Barbosu was celebrating her bronze at the time and was left in tears while Chiles celebrated.
Romania appealed to CAS where Gharavi was the chair of the panel, despite his links to the Romanian government. CAS ruled that the USA's appeal was outside of the allowed one-minute window so Chiles would have to return to fifth place.
USA gymastics said it had evidence that the appeal was placed in that one-minute timeframe but CAS on Wednesday appear to deny it.
It said: 'At the hearing, there was no dispute between the parties that Ms Chiles' inquiry was submitted one minute and four seconds after her score was officially displayed on the scoreboard.
'All parties accepted as clear and determinative the report prepared by Omega, the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games. No party sought the admittance of other evidence. The panel is fully aware of the disappointment this adjudicating process may cause.'
A devastated Chiles posted two statements to social media about her losing her bronze medal
Barbosu said she hopes she is on the podium alongside Chiles at the next Olympics
Chiles reacted to the verdict by posting four broken-hearted emojis on Instagram and said she was taking a break from social media while her sister said racism was behind the decision.
Barbosu, who has reached out to Chiles on social media, is set to receive her bronze in Bucharest on Friday. A ceremony has been scheduled for the 20-year-old, with the IOC present.
It is not known if she will receive the exact same medal as Chiles and if the USA star has been forced to return hers.
Chiles won the bronze in women's floor exercise in Paris when her coach submitted an inquiry to challenge the judges' initial score and her score was corrected from 13.666 to 13.766.
Chiles moved into third place, passing Romanians Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. It represented Chiles' only individual medal of her Olympic career. She won a gold medal as part of the team event in Paris, and a silver medal in the same event in Tokyo.
Earlier on Tuesday, before the Gharavi-Romania links emerged, USA gymnastics said across their social media platforms: 'As we continue to celebrate the successes of Team USA Gymnasts on social media, know that we are still working full-time to pursue justice for Jordan.'
Simone Biles (left) sent her teammate Chiles a public message of support at the weekend
Chiles has said she is taking a break from social media in light of the ruling against her
Barbosu, meanwhile, sympathized with Chiles in a social media statement at the weekend which read: 'Sabrina [Maneca-Voinea], Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling, because I've been through the same.
Upon landing back in Romania after the event's conclusion, Barbosu spoke out about temporarily falling to fourth place.
'I want everyone to be fair and not throw stones at athletes of any nationality. We as athletes only want to perform as well as we can and be rewarded for our results.
'The problem was on the judging side - how they calculated and decided the scores,' she said.
Chiles was also sent a message of support by her USA teammate Simone Biles, who said on Saturday on Instagram: 'Sending you so much love Jordan. Keep your chin up Olympic champ! We love you!'