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Panel member who ruled on Jordan Chiles appeal has history of representing Romania in legal cases

Panel member who ruled on Jordan Chiles appeal has history of representing Romania in legal cases
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Panel member who ruled on Jordan Chiles appeal has history of representing Romania in legal cases
The U.S. Olympic team's efforts to reclaim the bronze medal that Jordan Chiles thought she had won during the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics are encountering some increasingly bizarre obstacles, and a new twist in the ongoing saga emerged Tuesday.Related video above: Simone Biles triumphs in historic showdown with Suni Lee at Paris OlympicsThe head of the three-person panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ruled that the USA鈥檚 initial inquiry over Chiles鈥� floor exercise score was filed after the one-minute deadline and awarded third place to Romanian Ana B菐rbosu on Saturday, has been representing Romanian interests for years.Dr. Hamid G. Gharavi, Philippe Sands and Song Lu sat on the panel, of which Gharavi was the president, according to CAS. Gharavi鈥檚 resume, linked on CAS鈥� website, lists multiple legal cases in which he has represented Romania in arbitration cases.The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution was the first to report on the legal ties Gharavi has with Romania.In response to an inquiry for comment, Gharavi referred CNN to CAS. CNN has reached out to CAS about a possible conflict of interest within the panel.In a statement given to the New York Times, CAS said: 鈥淚n accordance with the guidelines on conflicts of interest issued by the International Bar Association (IBA), CAS has no reason to remove an arbitrator making such disclosure if the parties do not object to his/her appointment.鈥漌hat was praised as one of the best-ever Olympic Games has been tarnished by confusion, heartbreak and allegations of incompetence leveled against the governing bodies involved.Initially, B菐rbosu thought she had the medal until the U.S. team successfully appealed the judge鈥檚 scoring of Chiles鈥� routine, elevating the American from fifth place up to third and into an instantly iconic image of the first-ever all-black podium in Olympic gymnastics. Chiles held the medal for just five days before CAS awarded it to B菐rbosu.Complicating matters, the communication ahead of the court鈥檚 decision was flawed.According to CNN鈥檚 contributor Christine Brennan, CAS notified the wrong U.S. officials of the hearing on Saturday.The U.S. team now says they have video evidence that their appeal was lodged well within the designated 60-second window 鈥� but U.S. Gymnastics says CAS informed them that, according to its own rules, the decision cannot be reconsidered 鈥渆ven when conclusive new evidence is presented.鈥漁n Monday, USA Gymnastics said it would 鈥渃ontinue 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.鈥滿eanwhile, Chiles has removed herself from social media, posting four broken-hearted emojis after Saturday鈥檚 CAS ruling. Both she and B菐rbosu are now in limbo, caught in the middle of a highly emotional fiasco wrought upon them by one of the most significant sports competitions in the world.The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee seems to be running out of options, but said they will work 鈥渄iligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.鈥滻t鈥檚 hard to know what a fair resolution would look like, but if anyone thinks this will be settled swiftly, they should be reminded of another scene at the Paris Games this summer.Two days after the conclusion of the gymnastics competition, nine American figure skaters stepped into the sunshine beneath the Eiffel Tower to be presented with their gold medals from the team event at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.They鈥檇 been waiting for them for two and a half years.

The U.S. Olympic team's efforts to reclaim the bronze medal that Jordan Chiles thought she had won during the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics are encountering some increasingly bizarre obstacles, and a new twist in the ongoing saga emerged Tuesday.

Related video above: Simone Biles triumphs in historic showdown with Suni Lee at Paris Olympics

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The head of the three-person panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ruled that the USA鈥檚 initial inquiry over Chiles鈥� floor exercise score was filed after the one-minute deadline and awarded third place to Romanian Ana B菐rbosu on Saturday, has been representing Romanian interests for years.

Dr. Hamid G. Gharavi, Philippe Sands and Song Lu sat on the panel, of which Gharavi was the president, according to CAS. Gharavi鈥檚 resume, linked on CAS鈥� website, lists multiple legal cases in which he has represented Romania in arbitration cases.

The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution was the first to report on the legal ties Gharavi has with Romania.

In response to an inquiry for comment, Gharavi referred CNN to CAS. CNN has reached out to CAS about a possible conflict of interest within the panel.

In a statement given to the New York Times, CAS said: 鈥淚n accordance with the guidelines on conflicts of interest issued by the International Bar Association (IBA), CAS has no reason to remove an arbitrator making such disclosure if the parties do not object to his/her appointment.鈥�

What was praised as one of the best-ever Olympic Games has been tarnished by confusion, heartbreak and allegations of incompetence leveled against the governing bodies involved.

Initially, B菐rbosu thought she had the medal until the U.S. team successfully appealed the judge鈥檚 scoring of Chiles鈥� routine, elevating the American from fifth place up to third and into an instantly iconic image of the first-ever all-black podium in Olympic gymnastics. Chiles held the medal for just five days before CAS awarded it to B菐rbosu.

Complicating matters, the communication ahead of the court鈥檚 decision was flawed.

According to CNN鈥檚 contributor , CAS notified the wrong U.S. officials of the hearing on Saturday.

The U.S. team now says they have video evidence that their appeal was lodged well within the designated 60-second window 鈥� but U.S. Gymnastics says CAS informed them that, according to its own rules, the decision cannot be reconsidered 鈥渆ven when conclusive new evidence is presented.鈥�

On Monday, USA Gymnastics said it would 鈥渃ontinue 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.鈥�

Meanwhile, Chiles has removed herself from social media, posting four broken-hearted emojis after Saturday鈥檚 CAS ruling. Both she and B菐rbosu are now in limbo, caught in the middle of a highly emotional fiasco wrought upon them by one of the most significant sports competitions in the world.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee seems to be running out of options, but said they will work 鈥渄iligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.鈥�

It鈥檚 hard to know what a fair resolution would look like, but if anyone thinks this will be settled swiftly, they should be reminded of another scene at the Paris Games this summer.

Two days after the conclusion of the gymnastics competition, nine American figure skaters stepped into the sunshine beneath the Eiffel Tower to be presented with their gold medals from the team event at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

They鈥檇 been waiting for them for two and a half years.