Romanian Gymnast Ana Barbosu Set To Receive Bronze Medal Amid Jordan Chiles Issue

Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu is now set to receive the bronze medal that was taken away from her and awarded to American star Jordan Chiles during the controversial ending of the floor exercise final at the 2024 Olympics.

According to the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, Barbosu will be presented with the bronze medal on Friday. However, it is not clear if Chiles has already returned her medal and whether or not it will be the same medal that will be given to the 18-year-old gymnast.

In a statement, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee confirmed that its president, Mihai Covaliu, and a member of the International Olympic Committee for Romania, Octavian Morariu, will present the medal to Barbosu in Bucharest.

"Gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu will receive the bronze Olympic medal she won in the floor exercise final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games," the statement reads, as translated using an AI tool.

"The medal will be presented to her by Octavian Morariu, a member of the International Olympic Committee for Romania, and Mihai Covaliu, President of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, at an event taking place on the esplanade of the Olympic House in Bucharest on Friday, August 16, starting at 3:30 PM."

Ana Barbosu initially finished third in the floor exercise final after scoring 13.700. Fellow Romanian gymnast Sabrina Voinea also got 13.700, but Barbosu was placed ahead via a tie-breaker (a higher execution score).

However, Barbosu and Voinea each dropped one place after USA Gymnastics coach Cecile Landi challenged Chiles' difficulty score. After a brief inquiry, the judges gave Chiles an extra 0.10 point, increasing her score from 13.666 to 13.766 and bumping her from fifth to third.

Suddenly, Barbosu's celebrations after she thought she won bronze turned to tears as Chiles moved up and denied her a podium finish.

After the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee filed an appeal over the controversial finish, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) discovered that Landi's challenge came four seconds late from the one-minute deadline. The CAS then ruled that Chiles' additional score should be voided and that the initial standings be restored.

The International Gymnastics Federation followed the ruling and announced that Barbosu is the rightful third-place winner. Voinea went back to fourth, while Chiles dropped to fifth.

While the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee requested that all gymnasts affected by the issue be declared as third-placers and given a bronze medal each, the International Olympic Committee instead demanded Chiles to return her bronze medal.

USA Gymnastics tried to appeal the ruling and even presented new evidence to prove that Landi made her challenge within the allotted time, but CAS responded by saying that the case cannot be reopened after a final ruling has been made.

According to a statement from USA Gymnastics, it now plans to bring up the issue to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, the highest court in Switzerland. It remains to be seen, however, if the appeal will be successful.

Related: International Olympic Committee Facing Intense Backlash After Asking Jordan Chiles To Return Medal