The ongoing controversy over Jordan Chiles’ appeal has led to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which is not a familiar entity to the United States. The legal process that USA Gymnastics must go through to potentially have Chiles retain her women’s floor exercise bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is shaping up to be a tricky one. Here’s some clarification on what the Swiss Federal Tribunal is and how it can help prevent Chiles from being stripped of her Olympic medal.
Why should Jordan Chiles strip her Olympic gymnastics medal?
The Swiss Federal Tribunal is another name for the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. It is the head of the Swiss judiciary and hears appeals against decisions of arbitration tribunals such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Statement from USA Gymnastics regarding CAS report: pic.twitter.com/HoSiKjx9wl
On August 12, 2024, USA Gymnastics released a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter) expressing disappointment that CAS had denied its appeal to submit new evidence. This concerns the ruling CAS made earlier in August, stripping Chiles of her bronze medal and reinstating Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu as the bronze medalist instead.
