Romania announces gymnast will receive controversial bronze medal on Friday, despite ongoing challenge from the US
In the ongoing controversy over scoring that may deprive U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles of a bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee declared that gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu will receive the bronze medal during a ceremony on Friday in Bucharest.
As stated in Tuesday’s announcement, Octavian Morariu, a member of the International Olympic Committee from Romania, along with Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, will present the medal to Barbosu.
It remains uncertain whether Chiles has returned her bronze medal or if the medal awarded to Barbosu is the same one. The International Olympic Committee did not respond immediately to inquiries regarding this issue.
During the women’s floor exercise final on August 5, Chiles’ score was raised from 13.666 to 13.766 after U.S. coach Cecile Landi contested a deduction she had received on a move called a tour jete full. This action, referred to as an “inquiry” in gymnastics, resulted in the removal of the deduction, placing Chiles in third and pushing Barbosu off the podium.
Afterward, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), challenging the legitimacy of Landi’s appeal, hoping to revert Chiles’ score back to 13.666.
Following CAS’s agreement, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) changed the event’s official results, and the International Olympic Committee indicated that it would request Chiles to return her medal so that it could be awarded to Barbosu.
This situation has become more complicated as CAS reportedly did not contact the appropriate U.S. officials when preparing for last week’s appeal from Romania regarding Chiles’ bronze medal, according to a source familiar with the matter.
USA Gymnastics has stated that CAS is not willing to reconsider its ruling, even with the emergence of new evidence. Consequently, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have announced their intention to contest the CAS decision by appealing to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which is the highest court in Switzerland.
The Swiss Federal Tribunal typically intervenes in CAS decisions only when there has been a significant procedural flaw, leaving the effectiveness of the Americans’ arguments in question.
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