Romania hands over Ana Maria Barbosu bronze medal to Jordan Chiles
Jordan Chiles must return her Olympic bronze medal
The International Court of Arbitration for Sport had previously ruled that the jury had made an error in accepting a request submitted by Chile’s coaches.
Amid the scoring saga that could cost U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee announced that gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu will receive the bronze medal at a ceremony in Bucharest on Friday.
According to a press release on Tuesday, Octavian Morariu, member of the International Olympic Committee for Romania, and Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, will present the medal to Barbosu.
It is unclear whether Chiles has already returned her bronze medal or whether the medal Barbosu is due to receive is the same one. Messages left with the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday seeking comment were not immediately returned.
In 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 appealed a deduction she received for an element known as a tour jete full. The appeal, known in gymnastics as a “query,” wiped out the deduction, moving Chiles into third place and knocking Barbosu off the podium.
When the Romanian Gymnastics Federation filed its case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it was essentially appealing the validity of Landis’ appeal and hoping that Chiles’ score would be reset to 13.666.
When CAS agreed, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) readjusted the finish order for that competition and the International Olympic Committee announced that it would ask Chiles to return her medal so that it could be reallocated to Barbosu.
To complicate matters further, CAS did not contact the correct U.S. officials when preparing Romania’s appeal of Chile’s bronze medal last week, a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be identified told USA TODAY Sports’ Christine Brennan on Monday.
According to USA Gymnastics, the CAS stated that it could not reconsider its ruling despite the new evidence. Instead, USAG and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have announced that they plan to challenge the CAS decision by filing an appeal with the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, Switzerland’s highest court.
Normally, the Swiss Federal Court only intervenes in CAS decisions when obvious procedural issues are involved, so it is unclear what specific arguments the Americans will put forward and whether their efforts will succeed.
Contributors: Christine Brennan
