Head of panel who ruled against US gymnast Jordan Chiles represented Romania in past cases
What began with a miscalculation in the degree of difficulty for Jordan Chiles' women's gymnastics floor exercise final routine has led to another new twist in the celebration turned saga over who won bronze at the Paris Olympics.
New documents have revealed that Dr. Hamid G. Gharavi, the head of the three person panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sports that overturned a review, ruled against Chiles and forced her to give the bronze to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu, has actually represented Romanian interests for years.
Coaches, fellow athletes and fans have cried foul after seeing that Gharavi’s resume has multiple legal cases in which he represented Romania in arbitration cases, accusing the president of the panel of having a conflict of interest.
"I am not allowed to comment on these or any other matters in relation to my role as an arbitrator in this or any other case," the France-based attorney told ABC News in a statement.
Gharavi's position had previously been revealed before the panel was created, according to The New York Times.
Chiles' bronze medal finish happened after a Team USA inquiry into the difficulty of a move that the judges determined was worth an extra one tenth of a point and pushed her from fifth place to third, edging out Bărbosu.
"The sport of gymnastics is a subjective sport, and there are humans, and humans are going to make errors," four-time U.S. Olympic gymnastics medalist Dominique Dawes told "Good Morning America."
What was considered to be one of the best ever Olympic Games with a historic all-Black gymnastics podium, has now been mired in controversy and confusion.
The CAS voided an on-floor appeal from Chiles' coach, Cecile Landi, that had bumped her to third, stating that the appeal came four seconds after the 60 second time limit for scoring inquiries.
USA Gymnastics fought back and said the agency submitted timestamped video evidence to CAS that showed Landi first appealed 13 seconds before the deadline.
"USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented," USA Gymnastics said in a statement. "We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan."
Still on a high the morning after her win, the 23-year-old Team USA star appeared on "GMA" and took time to praise Bărbosu.
"She's an amazing athlete she's done amazing things within you know her gymnastics as well, so I'm very proud of myself, but also very proud of her as well," Chiles said.
Team USA has vowed to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. The International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution was the first to report the legal ties between Gharavi and Romania.
In a statement to ABC News, the U.S. Olympic Committee said they were "not given adequate time or notice to effectively challenge the decision against Chiles," but they are "committed to pursuing an appeal so that she receives the recognition she deserves."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
