Court of Arbitration for Sport dismisses US appeal for gymnastics medal given to Romanian gymnast
The Court of Arbitration for Sport, or CAS, dismissed the request submitted by USA Gymnastics, Jordan Chiles, and the United States Olympic Committee to reopen the case concerning the bronze medal for the floor exercise competition at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The medal in question has been at the center of disputes between the American and Romanian Gymnastics Federations. On Sunday, August 11, the International Gymnastics Federation, or FIG, ruled that Ana Maria Bărbosu must receive the bronze medal in the floor exercise competition at the 2024 Olympic Games, effectively taking it from US gymnast Jordan Chiles. The American Gymnastics Federation, however, appealed the decision with new video evidence.
The Court dismissed the appeal, emphasizing that during the proceedings, “it was conclusively established through official recordings” that the appeal submitted by the US coach was filed late, after the 1-minute time limit.
Prior to the dismissal, USA Gymnastics stated that it had provided CAS with video footage that was not available before the decision to strip Chiles of the medal. The footage, however, proved unconvincing.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation, or FRG, in turn, stated that it was never in favor of withdrawing the Olympic medal from Chiles but rather supported the initiative for Jordan Chiles, Ana-Maria Bărbosu, and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea to all receive the bronze medal.
According to The Guardian, there is a precedent for awarding duplicate medals when questions over judging get too convoluted to sort out. “That precedent was set in 2002, when a scandal that spread all the way into allegations of Russian mafia interference led the IOC to award a duplicate gold medal to the Canadian figure skating pair of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier,” the article mentions.
The Federation also asked that the athletes involved not be attacked. “FRG, together with its partners, has always sought to resolve this dispute in a manner that shows respect and appreciation for the athletes involved. We hereby appeal to the entire gymnastics community, both within the country and abroad, to STOP the attacks against gymnasts Jordan Chiles, Ana-Maria Bărbosu, and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, and especially against Nadia Comăneci, whose intervention has always been in favor of all three athletes/three medals,” the federation's statement further reads.
Nadia Comăneci, now 62, is a five-time Olympic gold medalist. Critics of her involvement in the affair had claimed she was racist, as US gymnast Jordan Chiles is African-American. Comăneci, who explained the process of awarding the medal and supported the Romanian athletes, was subjected to other insults online as well, according to Digi24.
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