Conflict of Interest Claim Emerges as Head of Panel that Stripped Jordan Chiles of Her Olympic Bronze Has Longstanding Ties with Romania’s Government [Video]

The head of the panel that decided Jordan Chiles should lose her Olympic bronze medal to a Romanian gymnast reportedly has longstanding ties with Romania’s government in legal matters. Ana Barbosu was reinstated to third place at Chiles’ expense following a ruling on the floor final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

Chiles had initially been boosted to third place after her coaches challenged the score during the event. Barbosu, who had been celebrating her bronze medal, was left in tears as Chiles took her place. Romania later appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where Hamid G. Gharavi, the panel’s chair, had connections to the Romanian government.

New Revelations

This situation raises serious concerns about a potential conflict of interest. According to The New York Times, panel members are required to fill out a conflict of interest form before taking on any case, and it was reported that Gharavi …