A new issue has emerged in the gymnastics community as a result of Olympic judges accepting Team USA’s plea to revisit the difficulty rating given to competitor Jordan Chiles during this Monday’s (August 5) floor exercise final.
The decision resulted in Romanian competitor Ana Barbosu’s bronze medal being symbolically “snatched” from her hands and given to an American athlete, leaving Ana distraught and dropping her flag to the ground.
Although the initial scores were close, Barbosu’s 13.700 gave her a slight advantage over Chiles’ 13.666. Chiles earned an additional 100 points once the remedial action was done, giving her the bronze medal.
The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, far from standing motionless, moved swiftly to file a request for a review of the criteria that went into the decision-making process for the rectification, all the while claiming that another of their competitors had been unfairly penalized throughout the tournament.
Romania moves to appeal controversial Olympic judges’ decision to award Team USA’s Jordan Chiles the bronze medal ahead of two of their athletes
Image credits: jordanchiles
At the conclusion of the competition, Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Voinea of the Romanian team both scored 13.700 points. However, the latter’s performance was docked 100 points for what appeared to be a step out of bounds during her routine.
The gymnast appears to have done nothing wrong, based on a layman’s analysis of the video. However, more knowledgeable voices, like Romanian icon Nadia Comaneci, have questioned the Olympic judges’ actions and urged them to study the clip again.
Image credits: jordanchiles
It’s time to review this floor routine. The veteran gymnast on X stated, “We need to protect athletes’ mental health by being there for them.
“Do you see the heel coming down? I don’t.” She went on and showed a video of Voinea performing her routine, in which she could be seen approaching the boundaries but not really touching them.
Voinea would have won the bronze medal with her original score of 13.800 points, easily surpassing Team USA’s Chiles, if the Romanian team’s appeal is granted and the result is reversed.
The affected gymnast has unofficially announced her retirement following the decision, with Romanian officials reaching out to the International Gymnastics Federation as a result
Image credits: ana_barbosu
“Sabrina should get a medal because she never left the mat to perform an acrobatic line! We refuse to devote our time to gymnastics any longer because no one is standing up for our rights! the post was read.
“We are so grateful to everyone who has helped us so far, but this is more than we can handle,”
Image credits: sabrina_voinea_alexia
Image credits: sabrina_voinea_alexia
The head of the Romanian Olympic Committee, Mihai Covaliu, sent a letter of protest to the International Gymnastics Federation in response to the contentious results.
“Regarding the Olympic ideals, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee humbly asks that you reconsider the factors that were taken into consideration when deciding how to award the exercise execution score in the floor final for the Romanian athlete Sabrina Maneca Voinea.”
Image credits: sabrina_voinea_alexia
“The manner in which the score is determined and the failure to fully provide the justifications or supporting documentation for the appeal’s denial, as stipulated by the regulation, seriously damages the reputation of international gymnastics and, more importantly, negatively impacts the athlete, jeopardizing [her] mental well-being.”
“The decision-makers are morally obligated to reevaluate, substantiate, and communicate the final decision in light of [Voinea’s] public declaration to give up practicing this sport as a result of today’s decision,” the letter stated.
