Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced that he will skip the Paris Olympics closing ceremony due to a controversial situation involving Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles and two Romanian competitors, Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.
“I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner,” read a translation of his Facebook post. “To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!”
The uproar came after a scoring dispute that deprived 18-year-old Ana of a bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise final.
Jordan Chiles‘ bronze-medal win at the women’s floor exercise final sparked controversy at the Paris Olympics this week
Image credits: Jordan Chiles / Instagram
The drama unfolded on Monday, August 5, when the Romanian teen gymnast was already celebrating her bronze victory in the floor event.
Her celebration was cut short as coaches for 23-year-old Jordan—who initially finished in sixth place behind the two Romanians—challenged her score.
The appeal resulted in a 0.1-point boost for the Team USA gymnast, and it was just enough to bump Ana off the podium.
Romanian competitor Ana Barbosu had already begun celebrating her third-place finish when she saw the revised scores on the board
Image credits: Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
The teenage star, with a Romanian flag in hand, was basking in her moment of Olympic glory when the revised score flashed on the board. Shocked and heartbroken, she dropped the flag and covered her face before walking off the floor in tears.
Inquiries are a regular part of gymnastics competitions, where athletes or coaches can request a review of scores to ensure accuracy. These reviews can result in scores being adjusted up or down.
In this particular case, the adjustment in favor of Jordan not only pushed Ana off the podium but also bumped Romania’s Sabrina down to fifth place.
Shocked and heartbroken, 18-year-old Ana dropped the flag in her hand, covered her face, and walked off the floor in tears
We have everything in these games, #Diversity, exactly as wanted. We have chromosomes, we have arbitrations, appeals and messes.
We love #AnaBarbosu on 4th place too, no problem, but you are playing with the souls of children who gave everything there. 🇹🇩🤝#4💝 pic.twitter.com/o8SwbVdKmH
— Catalina (@emgot88) August 5, 2024
Jordan ultimately secured a score of 13.766, edging out both Ana and Sabrina, who each scored 13.700. Sabrina had 100 points deducted for a disputed boundary fault during her routine.
The final score rewarded Jordan with her second medal of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and her first individual medal in the competition.
Following the results, Jordan and her American teammate Simone Biles, who claimed the silver in the floor event, respectfully bowed down to the gold medalist Rebeca Andrade on the podium in a memorable photo.
Gold winner Rebeca Andrade shared an iconic moment with Simone Biles and Jordan on the podium following the revised scores
This is everything. pic.twitter.com/FrXz7wWtQg
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 5, 2024
The unexpected outcome cast a shadow over the games and highlighted the emotional and psychological toll that such decisions can take on athletes.
Prime Minister Marcel stood firmly behind his gymnasts and called the results “unacceptable.”
“It is unacceptable that, in such a grand competition that promotes values such as respect, understanding and excellence, a child who had honestly earned her medal to be brutally deprived of the result of her work for four years! I couldn’t look at her tears and accept calmly that something like this is perfectly normal!” the Romanian leader wrote in his Facebook post.
Some netizens claimed the bronze medal was snatched away from Ana and given to the Team USA gymnast
Jordan Chiles, you probably won’t see this, I know you worked hard too, but the only reason you got that medal is because your coaches used their influence to cheat.
Everyone knows that medal rightfully belongs to Ana Bărbosu.
The @Olympics are corrupt. pic.twitter.com/tr9QV831Yz
— Daily Romania (@daily_romania) August 5, 2024
“And the fact that hundreds of millions of viewers from all over the world remained, like us Romanians, literally shocked by this terrible scene, shows that somewhere in the system of organizing this competition, something is wrong,” he continued.
He also addressed the Romanian gymnasts and said their tears are “more precious” than their medal count.
“Sabrina and Ana Maria, you have with you an entire nation for which your work and tears are more precious than any medal, no matter what precious metal they are from!” he said. “And I assure you that the Romanian state will treat you, including in terms of the prizes, like Olympic medalists. Because that’s what you are for all of us!”
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