Jordan Chiles' Olympic medal investigation may be featured in Simone Biles' Netflix series, according to court documents.
Jordan Chiles and her legal team have asserted that the decision to remove her medal was influenced by a conflict of interest.
Jordan Chiles is attempting to reclaim her bronze medal, with Simone Biles potentially following closely behind.
Chiles and her legal team filed an appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland to overturn a ruling in the Paris Olympics that denied her a third-place finish in the women's gymnastics floor routine final. Chiles was bumped from third place to fifth place after an appeal by U.S. coaches that increased her score over Romanian competitors was submitted too late. Despite being told to give back the bronze medal, there are no reports that indicate she has or will.
The Netflix docuseries on Biles may aid Chiles and her legal team in their case to reinstate her as the official medalist.
Court documents filed in the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland on Monday reveal that Biles' attorney has submitted footage from the company producing her Netflix series, which they claim shows visual evidence supporting Chiles. They argue that the footage proves that the request for the review that increased Chiles' score was submitted before the deadline, according to multiple reports.
According to the documents, the appeal by U.S. coach Cecile Landy was made within the 60-second window allowed for appeals, as it occurred 49 seconds after the result was announced.
Chiles' legal team has contended that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) breached her right to be heard by not considering the video evidence that supported her timely submission, contradicting the findings in CAS's decision.
Gharavi, who had close ties to Romania, acted as counsel for the country for nearly a decade and was an active representative at the time of the CAS' decision to strip Chiles of her medal.
This week, during a panel at the Forbes Power Women's Summit 2024 on Wednesday, chiles gave her first sit-down interview about the incident and visibly choked up when asked about the topic.
"For me, the events that have transpired are not just about the medal, but rather my skin color," Chiles said, wiping away tears.
Chiles previously stated that she was subjected to "racially motivated attacks" on social media on Aug. 15. The bronze medal win by Chiles marked the first time in Olympic history that a gymnastics podium featured three Black athletes.
During this time, Biles has been a vocal supporter of her teammate, as she was the one who initially stood on the first all-black podium at the floor exercise final with her and Brazilian Rebecca Andrade.
The judges who scored the gymnastics event have come under international scrutiny due to the controversy. On Aug. 15, the Center of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) released a joint statement condemning the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the judging crew for the outcome.
"The ad-hoc panel of the CAS stated in a release that if the FIG had implemented a mechanism or arrangement, a significant amount of heartache could have been prevented. The panel expressed the hope that the FIG would take responsibility for this case and apply the consequences to the three extraordinary athletes and their support personnel, as well as other athletes and their support personnel, to ensure that such an incident never occurs again."
The floor exercise final in Paris has been a source of emotional conflict for both Americans and Romanians since its occurrence.
Barbosu was initially awarded the bronze medal for floor on Monday, but a review of Chiles' score resulted in a 0.1-point increase, which moved Chiles ahead of Barbosu for the bronze medal.
The decision to change the gymnastics scores sparked a wave of criticism, with Nadia Comaneci and Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu both condemning the change on social media and threatening to boycott the Paris Olympics' closing ceremony.
On the final day of the Olympics, just before the closing ceremony, the CAS ruled that the judging panel at the event had improperly granted an inquiry that increased Chiles' score. The next day, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) ruled that Chiles would have to return the medal.
Only three gymnasts in history have had their Olympic medals stripped: China's Dong Fangxiao and Romania's Andreea Răducan, both of whom lost their medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and Mexico's Arturo Dalton Chiles.
Răducan's individual gold medal was taken away after testing positive for a banned substance from cold-medicine pills given to her by a team doctor. Dong's China team bronze was stripped after it was discovered that he was only 14 years old in Sydney, which is two years too young to compete.
Barbosu received her own official bronze medal on Aug. 16 and expressed sympathy for Chiles.
Barbosu stated, "I can't help but think about Sabrina and Jordan right now. This situation is challenging for us, with so many uncertainties and intense emotions. I hope everyone comprehends that we have not done anything wrong at the Olympics. And that the Olympic spirit is more significant than any miscommunication between the authorities."
"I hope that one day we will all receive a bronze medal."
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