Court of Arbitration for Sport returns Olympic bronze medal to Romanian gymnast, US contests decision
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, is contesting the decision with new video evidence.
Romania had concluded its artistic gymnastics competitions at the Olympics without a medal. In the floor final, Sabrina Maneca Voinea initially placed fifth, and Ana Maria Bărbosu fourth, with a score of 13.700. Bărbosu briefly held the bronze medal until Chiles' appeal moved the American to third place. Voinea's coaches also filed an appeal, but her score remained unchanged, leaving her in fifth place.
The FIG decision follows the ruling by the Ad hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which determined that the initial score of 13.666 awarded to Jordan Chiles should be reinstated, placing Bărbosu in third place with a score of 13.766.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation had filed appeals against FIG and Donatella Sacchi, the president of the Women's Technical Committee and the Superior Jury, which reviewed all contestations during the competition.
The CAS ruling stated that the US' appeal was filed one minute and four seconds after the deadline specified in FIG's 2024 Technical Regulations, making it untimely and resulting in the reinstatement of Chiles' original score.
The revised top five rankings for the women's floor exercise final are as follows: Rebeca Andrade (Brazil) – 14.166, Simone Biles (US) – 14.133, and Ana Maria Bărbosu (Romania) – 13.700, followed by Sabrina Voinea (Romania) – 13.700, and Jordan Chiles (US) – 13.666. Jordan Chiles is now required to return the bronze medal.
Around the same time the FRG shared CAS’ decision, Chiles posted on her Instagram Story that she is “taking this time and removing [herself] from social media for [her] mental health.”
Ana Bărbosu, in turn, shared a message of support for Jordan Chiles and Sabrina Voinea. "Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know very well how much it hurts because I have gone through the same feelings. But I know you both, and I am sure that you will find the strength to come back even stronger. I truly hope that at the next Olympic Games, we will be on the same podium together,” she said, cited by Golazo.ro.
Bărbosu’s medal brings Romania's medal count at the Olympics to nine: three gold, four silver, and two bronze. In the Tokyo Olympics, Romania won only one gold and three silver medals.
“We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise. The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” said the US Gymnastics and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee in a joint statement cited by Gymnastics Now.
Aside from the statement, the American Gymnastics Federation also submitted video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Sunday, arguing that Jordan Chiles should retain her bronze medal in the floor exercise at the Paris 2024 Olympics, as reported by Reuters.
"The timestamped footage shows that [US coach Cecile] Landi first declared her intention to file a protest at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score was posted, followed by a second declaration at 55 seconds after the score was initially displayed," USA Gymnastics stated in a press release.
(Photo source: Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român on Facebook)
