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Jordan Chiles Olympic medal fight turns ugly as USA releases angry statement accusing the court of astonishing mistakes
The fight for Jordan Chiles to keep her bronze medal took another sensational turn Wednesday night with the USA Olympic Committee (USOPC) accusing the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) of making astonishing errors in its handling of the case.
The USOPC said CAS emailed the wrong people at the American organization to update them on the steps being taken against Chiles, leaving them with minimal time to act accordingly before it was ruled that Romania's Ana Barbosu would take the USA gymnast's bronze from the floor final.
USOPC said in statement - reported by USA Today - that notices were sent to 'incorrect email addresses' and that it took three days for CAS to make contact with Chris McCleary, its general counsel, after Romania made its appeal over Chiles' score.
'The USOPC strongly contests the CAS decision due to significant procedural errors. From August 6-9, CAS sent crucial communications to erroneous email addresses at USOPC and USAG, an error not corrected until Aug. 9 - three days after filing, two days past the deadline to submit objections and less than 24 hours before the hearing,' the statement said.
It adds: 'This deprived us of adequate time to respond meaningfully or gather necessary evidence. We informed CAS of our objections immediately.
USA Olympic Committee is not giving up the fight for Jordan Chiles to keep her bronze medal
Chiles had her bronze taken off her after Saturday after Romania appealed her floor final score
'Our objections have since been validated by new evidence indicating administrative errors by FIG (The International Gymnastics Federation) and mishandlings by CAS, which would have been impossible to raise at the time of the rushed hearing. In short, we were denied a meaningful opportunity to be heard.
'Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to ensure Jordan Chiles receives the recognition she deserves. Our pursuit of truth in this matter remains unwavering.'
Earlier on Wednesday, CAS hit back at suggestions there had been a conflict of interest in the panel that ruled Chiles should lose her bronze.
Hamid G. Gharavi led the panel that decided Chiles should lose her medal at the expense of Romania's Barbosu but it has since emerged Gharavi has worked with the Romanian government for around 10 years.
CAS said: 'The court 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 publication said that Gharavi had disclosed his work with the Romanian government. The Times also says Gharavi refused to comment when approached by them.
Simone Biles pictured celebrating with a tearful Chiles when she won her bronze in Paris
Romania's Ana Barbosu is scheduled to receive her own bronze medal on Friday
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 for CAS decisions to be overturned but the manner of the tone from the US Olympic Committee on Wednesday night underlines how strongly they believe that they have a case.
Chiles herself has been silent since the ruling first surfaced on Saturday, aside from posting broken hearts on Instagram and saying that she was taking a break from social media.
She was backed by her gymnastics team though, with Simone Biles the leading name to offer support.
Biles wrote: 'Sending you so much love Jordan. Keep your chin up Olympic champ! We love you!'
Jordan 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
Barbosu, who is set to receive the bronze on Friday in a ceremony in Bucharest, sent Chiles a message on Instagram over the weekend.
Barbosu initially thought she had won bronze in Paris but Chiles' score of 13.666, which had initially placed her fifth, was bumped up by 0.1 following an appeal from her coach. The Romanian, already celebrating. was left in tears and the change to Chiles' score meant that Barbosu and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea were pushed down to fourth and fifth, each with matching scores of 13.700.
Romania was successful in its appeal on the grounds USA asked for an inquest on Chiles's score outside of the allowed minute timeframe. USA has since said it has evidence it asked for it inside 60 seconds.
In a message Chiles was tagged in on her Instagram, Barbosu said: 'Sabrina [Maneca-Voinea], Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling, because I've been through the same. But I know you'll come back stronger. I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share [the] same podium. That is my true dream!'
'This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation. We, athletes are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful.
'I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world.'