Kitty Chiller to appeal two-year ban as international gymnastics boss makes SOS visit

It’s the judging irregularity that landed Kitty Chiller a two-year ban. News Corp lifts the lid on the scandal and reveals a powerful ally in the former Gymnastics Australia boss’ appeal.

Kitty Chiller, former CEO of Gymnastics Australia, will appeal the two-year ban slapped on her by the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation for administrative judging irregularities at an Olympic qualification event in 2021.

Gymnastics’ top boss — President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and IOC member Morinari Watanabe — has made a rushed trip to Australia to show his support of Chiller, who at the time of the event was chief executive of Gymnastics Australia.

The ban means Chiller, who in her role as CEO was deemed ultimately responsible for the performance of GA, will not be able to present medals or make speeches at official events for two years but can still otherwise participate fully in International Federation activities and decisions.

Kitty Chiller has a strong ally in her appeal in Morinari Watanabe. Picture: Damian Shaw

Watanabe confirmed yesterday he would also meet with the Australian Olympic Committee to discuss the situation which also saw Virginia Elliott, the Gymnastics Australia National Technical Director and Erin Pankoke, a judge with a FIG Category 4 Brevet, all sanctioned.

It is understood no one else is appealing.

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Watanabe, who created the Ethics Foundation, said: “The Ethics Foundation is an independent body and I can not provide specific details because this matter is still before them ... Kitty has done a lot of important work for gymnastics in the Oceania region and globally.”

“Personally I want and need to work with her, she is my right hand.”

News Corp can reveal for the first time details around the “judging irregularity” that stem from the Oceania Championships for rhythmic gymnastics held on the Gold Coast in May last year.

The judging of Australian rhythmic gymnast Lidiia Iakovleva came into question. Picture: Richard Walker

At these championships, Lidiia Iakovleva narrowly beat Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva with a score differential of 2.5 points, Kiroi-Bogatyreva had been the favourite.

Kiroi-Bogatyreva, 20, protested the result, and the event was subsequently re judged

by the highest level of FIG international judges with agreement from all athletes. This international panel confirmed and upheld the ranking order.

Kiroi-Bogatyreva further appealed to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport

which dismissed her appeal and upheld the original result.

A gymnastics insider said the irregularity occurred in the appointment of the “jury” which was hampered by the lack of international judges because of Covid lockdowns and international restrictions on travel.

An exemption had been sought and granted by the FIG for a reduced panel because of Covid.

Prior to Kiroi-Bogatyreva’s appeal on the overall result, Iakovleva had appealed her score on an individual apparatus.

In rhythmic gymnastics, gymnasts are given a period of time to appeal the difficulty the judges have assigned to either the apparatus, execution, body difficulty or artistry.

A jury is the body to hear appeals during competition and Pankoke was sitting on the jury panel for this event.

Two other higher ranked, Category 2 Bevet judges, not facing any sanctions, were appointed to judge the event rather than sit on the jury.

In short, the jury was not senior to the judges.

Australia only had two category two judges at the time - being the highest ranked they should have formed the jury.

This is the irregularity Chiller is facing sanction over.

Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva was beaten in the event in question. Picture: Picture: Getty Images

Iakovleva had successfully appealed her score on an individual apparatus and the score was not just altered slightly.

A difficulty level cannot be lowered once contested, only raised. On average a difficulty rating increases by 0.2 to 0.3.

“On this day the athlete’s difficulty was raised by an unprecedented and never seen

in the history of rhythmic gymnastics 1.9,” an insider said.

The dramatic increase in the difficulty level led to Iakovelva’s score increasing and

putting her into first place, 2.5 points ahead of Kiroi-Bogatyreva.

When contacted on Monday, a spokesman for the Australian Olympic Committee said: “The AOC understands the matters dealt with relate to issues flowing from conduct of the competition’s technical rules and there were no findings relating to integrity.”

“The AOC is also grateful that Gymnastics Australia stepped in to conduct a Continental Championship to ensure Australian athletes had the opportunity to qualify for the Tokyo Games.

“This followed the cancellation of the previously scheduled Continental Championship in New Zealand in 2020, due to Covid restrictions.

“Had Gymnastics Australia not stepped up, quota places for the Games would have been lost to Australian gymnasts.”

When contacted Chiller confirmed she was appealing the result.

“As someone who has always fought to uphold the integrity of sport and to protect athletes, I am very disappointed with the initial sanction but there is an appeal process that I will now follow.”

Ms Chiller then said all results from the 2021 Continental Championships were ratified by the International Gymnastics Federation.”