The decision rests on four precious seconds.
In August 2024, the International Olympic Committee agreed that a protest over a score was made too late_ four seconds after the one-minute deadline_ and stripped American gymnast Simona Chiles of the bronze medal on floor exercise from the 2024 Paris Olympics and awarded it to Ana Barbosu of Romania.
But almost 1 1/2 years later, Switzerland’s supreme court on Thursday sensationally removed the bronze from Barbosu after its judges sent the “highly exceptional circumstances” of the bronze medal back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to examine new evidence.
Romanian former gymnast Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to score the perfect 10, reacted to the upset.
“It is unfortunate that, after a colossal sporting effort, young gymnasts are forced to go through this rollercoaster of emotions, “ Nadia Comaneci as quoted as saying by gsp.ro.
Comaneci said Thursday’s development had caused “an emotional upset” and “This is my main concern now”.
If Chiles now has fresh hopes she may finally get the bronze and put the controversy behind her, in Romania, there was concern about the effect on Ana Barbosu.
“Out of respect for their mental health and the values of sport, it is essential that this process is resolved in a way that restores their balance and peace of mind,” comaneci added.
However, that will take time. The court based in Lausanne gave no timetable for the review. It likely will take at least one year to prepare and process before a verdict is ready.
“America isn’t happy with all the medals it got. I think it’s wrong and our gymnast should be supported. She won the medal, this is an administrative decision. I don’t know if she will recover it,” former President Traian Basescu told Gazeta Sporturilor.
The mother of Ana Bărbosu, 19, also reacted to the decision.
“We are not afraid of American influences either, we are not afraid of anything, but only about erring before God,” Pompilia Bărbosu said, adding she was confident that the Court of Arbitration for Sport will keep the original decision and will not strip her daughter of the medal.
“We were aware from the very beginning that this scenario could arise, but we want treat everything calmly, in a balanced way and with hope,” Bărbosu said quoted by gsp.ro.
Pompilia Bărbosu said that Ana did not immediately find out the news, due to the time zone. She said that she sent her daughter a message so that the information would not take her by surprise.
At the moment, the 19-year-old athlete is in California continuing her studies at Stanford University.
“No matter how this ends, we would like the world to remember the beauty of Ana’s performance. She performed for everyone, from the heart, she gave her all to offer a memorable floor exercise, a kind of gratitude for all the years spent in gymnastics,” she added.
This means that Barbosu is provisionally stripped of the medal she won at the Paris Olympics.
“She will have to overcome this ordeal, I am convinced that God will strengthen it. In the end, life goes on, we will wait with our heads held high for the next decision, whatever it may be.
What can happen at the CAS retrial
- The CAS finds that the regular time for submitting the appeal has been exceeded by 4 seconds, as it appears in the official Omega system, and the medal is awarded to Ana Barbosu.
OR
- CAS does not consider the official timer and bases its judgment on the Netflix recording, in which Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, Jordan Chiles’ coach, arrives at the referees’ table in under a minute (the time it is in regulation) and files the appeal.
- In this case, the CAS will judge in favor of Chiles and she will be declared the Olympic bronze medalist.
Barbosu is a six-time European junior champion and also a three-time Romanian national all-around champion.
Will gymnast Jordan Chiles get back the Olympic bronze medal?
