On Thursday morning, the International Olympic Committee announced that Romania is permitted to grant a bronze medal to gymnast Ana Barbosu, paving the way for a medal ceremony planned by Romanian officials for Friday amidst a complex global sports controversy.

According to the IOC in an emailed statement to YSL News Sports, “The adjusted ranking by FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) is founded on a definitive ruling by the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), which is obligatory for all involved parties. Although an appeal to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court remains an option, the CAS ruling is enforceable right away, and Ms. Barbosu has the right to receive her bronze medal.”

Reports suggest that American gymnast Jordan Chiles currently holds the bronze medal awarded to her for the floor exercise competition at the Paris Olympics, as per two unnamed sources who shared the information with YSL News Sports.

No plans have been made for Chiles to return the bronze medal, as U.S. officials intend to appeal what the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee describes as “considerable procedural errors” by CAS, likely taking their case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

The USOPC stated on Wednesday night that, from August 6-9, “CAS mistakenly sent key communications to incorrect email addresses at USOPC and USA Gymnastics (USAG), a mistake that wasn’t rectified until August 9—three days after the filing, two days past the deadline to submit objections, and less than 24 hours before the hearing. This left us with insufficient time to respond effectively or gather the necessary evidence. We immediately communicated our objections to CAS.”

Since then, U.S. officials have provided a time-stamped video that shows their appeal concerning Chiles’ score was filed merely 47 seconds post-score announcement, well within the one-minute limit—refuting claims that it was submitted four seconds after the deadline during the CAS hearing. CAS has stated they will not reopen the case, despite this compelling video evidence affirming that Chiles was indeed entitled to the bronze medal. The USOPC commented, “Our objections have been validated by new information indicating administrative mistakes by FIG and oversights by CAS, which could not have been presented during the rushed hearing. Essentially, we were denied a meaningful chance to present our case.”

Amid this rising controversy, both U.S. and Romanian officials proposed awarding bronze medals to both Chiles and Barbosu, but FIG refused this compromise. The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee is now proceeding independently.

This swift organization of a medal ceremony sharply contrasts with the recent Kamila Valieva doping case, where various international sports bodies and anti-doping agencies took a long time to resolve the situation. Consequently, the U.S. and Japanese figure skating teams only received their gold and silver medals at the Paris Summer Olympics 2½ years after their competition concluded at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.