Second Romanian gymnast protests controversial Olympic floor exercise final as Chile’s Jordan fights for medal
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed, claiming that Sabrina Maneca-Voinea had never crossed the competition limit despite the point deduction.
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Sabrina Maneca-Voinea and Jordan Chiles
The fight for bronze continues.
While Jordan Chiles and USA Gymnastics continue to fight to get their floor exercise medal back from the Paris Olympics – after it was stripped of its title by a Court of Arbitration for Sport and awarded to Ana Barbosu – a second Romanian gymnast has filed an appeal to get the medal back.
On Monday, August 26, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation announced in a statement that an appeal had been filed on behalf of Sabrina Maneca-Voinea with the Swiss Federal Court after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected her complaint earlier this month that she had been incorrectly assessed.
Maneca-Voinea and the Romanian federation argue that the back-and-forth between Chiles’ and Barbosu’s appeals would be irrelevant – and that Maneca-Voinea would be considered the clear winner – if the judges had not wrongly deducted 0.10 points from her for allegedly going too far.
According to USA Today, replays show that Maneca-Voinea did not leave the field during the final. Had Maneca-Voinea not been penalized for the 0.10 point penalty, she would have scored 13,800 points, putting her ahead of Chiles and Barbosu.
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Sabrina Maneca-Voinea from Romania
Related: Romania’s Ana Barbosu breaks her silence after Jordan stripped Chile’s Olympic bronze medal: ‘I went through the same thing’
The CAS rejected the Romanian association’s appeal earlier this month and said the ruling “cannot be appealed,” according to USA Today.
“The decision as to whether a 0.1 point deduction was appropriate is a textbook example of a ‘field of play’ decision which does not allow the arbitrators to substitute their opinion for that of the referee,” the CAS stated. “It justifies non-interference by CAS as it requires the exercise of judgment by the arbitrator based on specialist knowledge of the ‘field of play’.”
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Now, beyond the CAS, the Romanian federation is appealing to the Swiss Federal Court to increase Maneca-Voinea’s score and move her to third place. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have announced they also intend to appeal to the Swiss Federal Court.
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Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu poses with the Olympic bronze medal
At the final on August 5, Chiles (who performed her routine last) initially scored 13.666, which would have placed her fifth, while Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea both scored 13.700. After the scores were announced, Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi filed an inquiry arguing that the judges had not sufficiently taken into account the difficulty level of her routine when initially scoring it.
The judges agreed, changing Chile’s score to 13.766. She was named the bronze medalist of the event, joining Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade on the podium – marking the first all-black gymnast podium at an Olympic Games.
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Rebeca Andrade (center) of Team Brazil, silver medalist Simone Biles (left) of Team USA and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles (right) of Team USA celebrate on the podium during the women’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise medal ceremony.
However, shortly afterwards, the Romanian Olympic Committee argued that Landi had not submitted her request on time, claiming she was four seconds late. The CAS upheld this appeal and Chile’s score was reset to 13.666.
Chile’s claim to the bronze medal – led by the USOPC – now depends on claims by the International Gymnastics Federation and the CAS appeals process that there were “critical errors” in the scoring, as well as video evidence showing that Landi filed her appeal in a timely manner.
Related: Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade and Jordan Chiles celebrate the first all-black gymnastics podium: “Super exciting”
Following the CAS’s decision to strip her of her medal, Chiles said she was “at a loss for words” for the “devastating” result. “This decision feels unfair and is a heavy blow, not only for me, but for everyone who has supported my path,” she wrote in an Instagram post on August 15.
“To add to the suffering, the unsolicited racist attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I have put my heart and soul into this sport and am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”
“I will face this challenge like others and do everything I can to ensure justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people who are in control will do the right thing,” Chiles concluded.
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