In a continuing saga of controversy surrounding the women's floor final at the Paris Olympics, gymnast Jordan Chiles has filed an appeal in Switzerland's Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the decision that stripped her of the bronze medal. The legal battle centers around the timing of an inquiry into Chiles's score and the adherence to the sport's protocol.

Initially, Chiles received the bronze medal after her coach successfully appealed her score, resulting in a one-tenth increase and surpassing Romania's Ana Barbosu. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Chiles's coach did not initiate the inquiry within the required one-minute deadline, leading to the reversal of her medal.

The Washington Post conducted an in-depth analysis, examining multiple videos from different sources to scrutinize the disputed inquiry. The video evidence revealed that Chiles's coach, Cecile Landi, verbally requested the inquiry within the designated time limit. However, the timestamps utilized by CAS did not align precisely with the sport's protocol, leading to their ruling against Chiles.

During the floor final, Chiles finished her routine at 3:29 p.m., with Brazil's Rebeca Andrade leading the pack and Chiles's teammate Simone Biles close behind. Romania's Ana Barbosu initially secured the third position due to a tiebreaker rule favoring the gymnast with a higher execution score. Chiles, originally in fifth place, earned a score of 13.666.

The controversy arose from the discrepancy in the official score time recorded by Omega, the Olympics' official timekeeper, and the time displayed on the video board. While Omega recorded the "Official Score Time" as 3:32:17 p.m., Chiles's score appeared on the video board three seconds later.

The audio from a video submitted in Chiles's appeal captured her coach, Cecile Landi, requesting an inquiry for Chiles at 3:33:17 p.m. – just 54 seconds after the score was posted in the arena. Despite the evidence presented, CAS relied on slightly different timestamps, which led to their decision against Chiles.

Chiles, alongside her legal team, has filed an appeal in Switzerland's Supreme Court, challenging the CAS ruling on procedural grounds. The appeal highlights issues such as a delayed notification of Romania's appeal, which limited USA Gymnastics' ability to gather evidence and prepare a defense. The additional video evidence, presumably from Biles's documentary crew, was presented the day after the CAS hearing but was not considered by CAS in their ruling.

As the legal battle unfolds, it remains unclear whether Chiles still possesses the bronze medal. However, she is no longer officially recognized as the bronze medalist by the Olympics committee.

The outcome of Chiles's appeal now rests in the hands of Switzerland's Supreme Court, where she seeks to reclaim her rightful place on the podium as the bronze medalist in the women's floor final at the Paris Olympics.