Jordan Chiles appeals ‘unfair’ decision that cost him Olympic bronze medal

Jordan Chiles has appealed the decision that led to the loss of an Olympic bronze medal for the American gymnast, her lawyers announced Monday.

Chiles was stripped of her first individual Olympic medal after the Romanian gymnastics team challenged the decision to revise her final score on the floor exercise at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The CAS eventually upheld the decision, meaning the American star’s bronze medal went to Romania’s Ana Bǎrbosu.

Chiles has now chosen to appeal the CAS decision to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, where CAS is based.

“From start to finish, the proceedings leading to the CAS decision were fundamentally unfair, and it is not surprising that they resulted in an unjust decision,” Chiles’ lawyers said in a press release.

Her lawyers argue that CAS violated Chiles’ “right to be heard” by “refusing to consider video evidence that showed her application was submitted on time,” and that Chiles was not properly informed that the CAS panel chair had a potential conflict of interest.

CNN has contacted CAS for comment.

“Jordan Chiles’ appeals present the international community with a simple legal question: Will everyone stand by and watch an Olympic athlete who did the right thing have her medal stripped because of a fundamental injustice in an ad hoc arbitration process? The answer to that question should be no,” said Maurice M. Suh, Chiles’ attorney.

“Every part of the Olympic Games, including the refereeing process, must respect fair play,” Suh ​​added.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said it is committed to seeing Chiles receive the recognition she deserves.

“Given the CAS’s egregious errors and negligence in handling this case and its failure to consider the clear evidence of Jordan’s just victory in the Bronze category, we are determined to ensure she receives the recognition she deserves. Our commitment to the truth in this case remains unwavering,” the USOPC told CNN on Monday.

USA Gymnastics (USAG) told CNN it was not directly involved in the appeal at this point, but supported Chiles and her team.

“USAG is working closely with Jordan and his legal team and will file supporting documents with the court in pursuit of justice for Jordan,” the organization said.

“Chiles believes in fair and honest competition and demands that these organizations respect the standards and rules that have been established to ensure fairness,” the gymnast’s lawyers added Monday.

For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com