IOC in discussions for reallocation ceremony to award floor exercise bronze to Ana Barbosu
The International Olympic Committee is in discussions for a reallocation ceremony to award the bronze medal in the floor exercise at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu.
In a statement, the IOC said: “The IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu (Romania). We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal.”
But later Sunday USA Gymnastics said it had formally submitted a letter and video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) contesting its ruling Saturday that the inquiry that raised the score for Team USA's Jordan Chiles during last week’s floor exercise final at the Bercy Arena was invalid.
USA Gymnastics said it has requested that the CAS ruling be revised and Chiles’ bronze-medal score of 13.766 reinstated.
Chiles originally was given a score of 13.666, that put her fifth behind eventual champion Rebeca Andrade, Simone Biles and the Romanian duo of Barbosu and Sabrina Voinea.
The difficulty score inquiry, lodged by coach Cecile Landi, added 0.1 to her score, lifting her to the bronze medal. As realisation dawned she was now out of the medals, a devastated Barbosu lowered the flag she had been waving on the podium.
Saturday's ruling says the American’s inquiry came outside the allotted time and is therefore invalid, reverting her score to 13.666. Following that ruling, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) then issued a statement modifying the final floor results to rank the 18-year-old Barbosu third.
According to USA Gymnastics, the time-stamped, video evidence submitted to CAS shows Landi first requested to file an inquiry 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted.
USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee issued a joint statement in the wake of the CAS ruling.
"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," they said.
"Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media. No athlete should be subject to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her."
After posting four broken-heart emojis, Chiles posted on social media: "I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you."