Jordan Chiles’ Olympic Bronze Hopes Revived As Swiss Court Reviews New Evidence

Today is January 29, 2026 – over 542 days have passed since Jordan Chiles won her first and only individual Olympic medal, a bronze on the floor exercise. 531 days have passed since the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) stripped the bronze medal from Chiles and formally awarded it to Romania’s Ana Bărbosu.

Although the judges in the field of play approved Chiles’ score of 13.766, the CAS later ruled that Chiles’ coach had been four seconds too late in making the inquiry that lifted Chiles onto the podium. This decision lowered Chiles’s score from 13.766 to 13.666, demoting her from third place (bronze) to fifth, and elevating Bărbosu from fourth place to third place.

In September 2024, Chiles and her legal team formally appealed the CAS’s ruling through the Swiss Federal Tribunal, the highest court in Switzerland and the only body that can overrule CAS.

Chiles’ team argued that the CAS “violated Chiles’s fundamental ‘right to be heard,’” by refusing to consider video evidence. This evidence, Chiles’ team argued, “unequivocally proves that the inquiry was submitted on time.”

Swiss Court Accepts New Video Evidence

Nearly one year and six months later, that video evidence may have made a difference.

On Jan. 29, 2026, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court confirmed in a press release that they had accepted Chiles’ team’s requests for revision.

The Federal Supreme Court stated that “new evidence,” in the form of an “audio-visual recording discovered after the CAS award,” could potentially warrant a “modification of the contested award.”

Counsel for Chiles, from the firm Gibson Dunn, noted that the new evidence consists of footage captured by a Religion of Sports documentary crew. The team was filming the floor exercise finals for a series centered on Chiles’ teammate, Simone Biles.

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The Court has now referred the case back to the original arbitrator, the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The CAS must now “re-examine the situation, taking this new evidence into account.”

Though Thursday’s release indicates progress, the Court offered no timetable for the CAS’ review.

Despite the long road ahead, for Chiles’ team and U.S. artistic gymnastics, today’s press release reveals a significant step toward justice.

USA Gymnastics shared its support for Chiles and the Court’s ruling in a statement shared Thursday.

“We are pleased the Swiss Federal Supreme Court recognized the flaws in the initial process and that Jordan’s case can now be heard inclusive of all relevant evidence. USA Gymnastics will continue to support the efforts of Jordan and her team to retain her bronze medal in the 2024 Olympic women’s floor exercise. We look forward to a fair arbitration that includes the clear evidence proving the inquiry into Jordan’s score was filed well within 1 minute as required by FIG rules. ”

Maurice M. Suh, Chiles’ counsel and a partner at Gibson Dunn, reacted to the ruling in a statement released Thursday.

“We are delighted that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted a wrong and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Suh said. “As the Court recognized, there is ‘conclusive’ video evidence that Jordan was the rightful winner of the bronze medal.”

Suh added that Chiles is “ready to fight vigorously” for her bronze medal. “We look forward to helping her achieve that result.”

Chiles, who is in the midst of her final season with the UCLA Bruins women’s gymnastics team, has not publicly commented on Thursday’s release. Romania’s Ana Bărbosu has also remained quiet on her social platforms, instead focusing on her ongoing freshman NCAA season with the Stanford Cardinal.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolineprice/2026/01/29/jordan-chiles-olympic-bronze-hopes-revived-as-swiss-court-reviews-new-evidence/