By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles said video evidence of the Paris Olympics floor exercise final proves she followed the rules and should be taken into consideration by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as she continues her battle to regain the bronze medal.
Chiles was forced to give up the medal when CAS last month ruled in favour of an appeal by Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu, who was subsequently awarded the bronze even though Chiles was given the medal at the ceremony.
Barbosu and her team had appealed to CAS that an inquiry filed by the U.S. team over the results of the floor exercise had been registered four seconds after the one-minute deadline allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation.
On the day of the floor final, Chiles was promoted from fifth to third as her score was increased from 13.666 to 13.766 after one of her coaches submitted an inquiry.
The success of the Romanian appeal meant Chiles’s score was downgraded and she slipped back to fifth. Brazilian Rebeca Andrade claimed gold while pre-competition favourite Simone Biles picked up silver.
Last week, Chiles appealed the CAS decision to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland and on Tuesday her lawyers said CAS should be required to consider the video evidence, which was recorded as part of a Netflix documentary about Biles.
Chiles lawyers say CAS should be required to reopen the proceedings to consider the video and audio evidence, which the court did not previously consider.
“We believe that CAS must consider the complete audio and video record that shows that Jordan without doubt followed all the rules on the floor and in her inquiry,” said Maurice Suh, a partner for lawfirm Gibson Dunn and counsel for Chiles.
“Failing to do so would be fundamentally unfair and unjust. Jordan is grateful for the outpouring of support she has received in her effort to get to the right result.”
A decision from the Swiss court is expected in the next four to six months, a source told Reuters.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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