This medal game is all about losers.
The medals have been awarded - or have they? Not quite, as two nations are still battling for a single bronze medal. In the women's floor exercise, there's a major drama unfolding. Between American Jordan Chiles, who got to celebrate on the podium, and Romanian Ana Barbosu, it's down to the wire.
The Olympic Games may be over, but for some, they're not quite done yet. Two nations are still fighting for the bronze medal in gymnastics, specifically in the women's floor exercise final. A heated dispute has erupted between the USA and Romania over the scoring.
On August 5th, Jordan Chiles stood on the podium, securing third place behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade and her teammate Simone Biles. Together with Biles, she knelt and bowed to the Olympic champion - images that circled the globe. But behind the scenes, a dispute was brewing, and the awarding of the bronze medal to Chiles was already contentious at that moment.
Initially, Romania's Ana Barbosu had secured third place with a score of 13.700. The 17-year-old had already celebrated her bronze medal with the flag over her shoulders. She had secured her place through a "tiebreaker" against her compatriot Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who had the same score but performed lighter routines. In gymnastics, this prevents two athletes from sharing the same place.
However, the US team filed a protest against Chiles' score, which was 13.666 and placed her fifth. After reviewing video footage, the jury decided to recognize an element and correct the difficulty score upwards. Chiles' score was suddenly 13.766, making her the clear third. Chiles celebrated and was set to attend the medal ceremony - but Romania and Barbosu were upset. The gymnast was in tears, and Romania's Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu threatened to boycott the closing ceremony, calling the situation "scandalous" and "outrageous."
A dispute over four seconds
Romania's federation filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). Not about the recognition of the performed element, but because the US team had requested the correction of the evaluation after one minute and four seconds after the jury's notes were announced. An appeal is allowed within one minute. So, Romania based its appeal on those four seconds.
And, surprisingly, Cas' ad-hoc chamber ruled in Romania's favor. The correction was invalid, and Chiles' original score of 13.666 should stand. This moved Barbosu back to third place with her score of 13.700. The International Gymnastics Federation (Fig) confirmed the implementation of this decision and also contacted the US committee regarding the return of the medal and the Romanian NOC for the handover to Barbosu.
However, the US team is not ready to accept this. The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced an appeal against the sports court's ruling. "We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully won the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (Fig) and the subsequent Cas appeal process that need to be addressed," the US committee stated, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. Gymnastics Federation announced that it has submitted additional evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). According to the federation, there is video footage that proves that Chile's request for a score change was filed in a timely manner. The federation stated that the first protest was made after 47 seconds, and a second one after 55 seconds.
Therefore, the Olympic Games in gymnastics are not yet over. What remains are gymnasts who are devastated on the ground. Chile posted three broken heart emojis on an Instagram story and announced a social media break, citing the need to protect their mental health. Biles, on the other hand, was robbed of the moment of receiving her medal, the applause of the fans. Regardless of who wins the dispute, both are losers in this situation.
The aftermath of the gymnastics event in the women's floor exercise has led to an intense dispute between the USA and Romania. Despite initial celebrations, Jordan Chiles' bronze medal has been called into question, leading to a long-drawn-out legal battle.
