CONFLICT OF INTEREST

New Twist in U.S. Gymnast Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal Dispute

Hamid G. Gharavi, the head of the special tribunal convened by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, counts the Romanian government as a client.

The head of a panel that voted to rescind the Olympic bronze medal for American gymnast Jordan Chiles has a potential conflict of interest in the matter, The New York Times reported Tuesday. A Romanian competitor named Ana Barbosu was ultimately awarded the medal—creating a potential issue for Hamid G. Gharavi, the head of the special tribunal convened by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who counts the Romanian government as a client. It remains unclear what led to the panel’s decision, with the court releasing a brief, one-page statement with the results of their findings. Romania originally lodged their complaint by arguing that a U.S. coach’s appeal of Chiles’ scoring came just a few seconds too late. After the panel’s decision, Chiles was knocked to fifth place, taking away her only solo medal of the 2024 games while nixing the first all-Black sweep in a gymnastics event in the modern Olympics.