The head of the panel that ruled Jordan Chiles should lose her Olympic bronze to a Romanian athlete has represented Romania’s government in legal disputes for years, it has emerged.
Ana Barbosu was reinstated into third at Chiles’ expense in Saturday’s seismic ruling over the floor final at the Paris Games. Chiles herself had been elevated into third -over Barbosu – when her coaches appealed her score during the event. Barbosu was celebrating her bronze at the time and was left in tears while Chiles celebrated.
Romania appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) where Hamid G. Gharavi was the chair of the panel, despite his links to the Romanian government.
It flags a potentially significant conflict of interest claim in an already delicate situation. The New York Times says panel members must complete a conflict of interest form before reviewing any case and that Gharavi had disclosed his work with the Romanian government. The Times also says Gharavi refused to comment…