In a shocking twist to the already incredible gymnastics floor final at the Paris Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport delivered a new ruling in the penultimate day of the Games to reverse Jordan Chiles' score.
The Romanian Olympic Committee said it had appealed scores for Sabrina Maneca-Voinea and Ana Maria Bărbosu in the floor exercise final after a last-minute inquiry on behalf of American rival Chiles prompted heartbreak and rage from the former gymnastics powerhouse.
The Romanian teammates were left outside the medals in Monday's floor final after finishing with matching scores of 13.700. Barbosu thought she had won bronze over Maneca-Voinea via a tiebreaker — a higher execution score — and began celebrating with a Romanian flag.
Chiles was the last athlete to compete and initially was given a score that put her in fifth place, right behind Maneca-Voinea. Chiles' coaches called for an inquiry on her score, and after a review, judges boosted Chiles' total by 0.1. That was enough to leapfrog Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for the last spot on the podium.
Maneca-Voinea was given a 0.1 deduction for stepping out of bounds during her routine, but replays showed she narrowly kept her heel inbounds during the moment in question.
The arbitration panel said Chiles' original score of 13.666 would be reinstated, saying in part the USA's inquiry was submitted after a one-minute allowed timeframe.
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The arbitration court did not provide additional details on final score standings and how that would change medal positions, sending that decision to the international gymnastics' ruling body.
"The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique shall determine the ranking of the Final of the women’s Floor exercise and assign the medal(s) in accordance with the above decision," the panel said Saturday.
The International Gymnastics Federation, not long after, said it had restored the initial order of finish — with Barbosu third, Romanian teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth — but the allocation of medals was up to the International Olympic Committee.
Chiles' did not immediately comment on the unfolding situation, but posted a series of broken heart emojis on Instagram Saturday afternoon with the following: "I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you."
USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee said the ruling was devastating and commended Chiles' integrity.
"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, as we continue to stand by and support her," their joint statement read.
Joint Statement from USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee regarding the CAS decision on the women’s floor final:
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 10, 2024
CAS Decision: https://t.co/KR6DYsfxEk pic.twitter.com/r1e6QKmKA4
The Romanian Olympic Committee had said its president, Mihai Covaliu, wrote a letter of protest to the International Gymnastics Federation asking it to reconsider Maneca-Voinea's score, saying an initial challenge was rejected.
“The way in which the score was assessed and the refusal to present the full reasons/proofs for the rejection of the appeal submitted within the time limit set by the rules seriously harms the image of international gymnastics, but in particular affects the athlete, even jeopardizing their mental health,” Covaliu said.
The gymnastics federation did not immediately confirm whether Romania had indeed appealed and if it would hear that appeal. It's unclear when the Romanians made the initial challenge.
Meanwhile, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation said it has submitted requests to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It said one of them was linked to the inquiry submitted by Chiles' coaches.
“Aware of the negative impact on Ana Maria Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation aims to correct the mistakes made by the judges and to restore the rights of our athletes,” the federation said.
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The results of the floor exercise have caused an uproar in Romania.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Tuesday he will boycott the closing ceremony because of the “scandalous situation.” Ciolacu promised Romania would honor Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea as Olympic medalists, “including in terms of the prizes.”
Romanian gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci also lashed out after the event, writing on X, “I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this.”
Barbosu was standing on the floor when she looked up and saw the scoring change on the video board following the inquiry. She brought her hands to her face and walked off in tears.
Inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions, with athletes or coaches asking judges to review a routine to ensure elements are rated properly. Scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry.
Romania was a longtime superpower in gymnastics, but Barbosu's initial result would have been the women's program’s first Olympic medal since the 2012 London Games.
Rebeca Andrade of Brazil won gold and Chiles' teammate, Simone Biles, took silver in the floor final, the last event of the Olympic gymnastics slate.
