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Romanian gymnast receives Olympic bronze medal stripped from Jordan Chiles
By Kelly McCarthy,
1 day ago
Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu was officially given the Olympic bronze medal for the floor exercise Friday following a scoring controversy and overturned review that stripped Team USA star Jordan Chiles of the medal at the Paris Games.
Barbosu was handed the medal Friday by Octavian Morariu, a member of the International Olympic Committee for Romania, and Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sport Committee, on the esplanade of the Olympic House in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania.
Chiles spoke out Thursday for the first time since the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in favor of a challenge by Romania.
"I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days," Chiles said in a post on Instagram. "I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG, and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time."
She continued, "While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful."
The CAS voided an on-floor appeal from Chiles' coach, Cecile Landi, that had moved her up to third, stating the appeal came four seconds after the 60-second time limit for scoring inquiries.
Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu is presented with an Olympic bronze medal by Mihai Covaliu, the president of Romanian Olympic Committee, Aug. 16, 2024, in Bucharest, Romania.
In response, USA Gymnastics attempted to submit timestamped video evidence to CAS that showed Landi first appealed 13 seconds before the deadline. But the court rejected the evidence, saying it wouldn't even consider it.
"USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented," USA Gymnastics said in a statement. "We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan."
Coaches, fellow athletes and fans have cried foul, citing a conflict of interest after new documents revealed Dr. Hamid G. Gharavi, the head of the three-person panel at the CAS that ruled against Chiles, had represented Romanian interests for years on multiple legal cases.
Gharavi told ABC News in a statement, "I am not allowed to comment on these or any other matters in relation to my role as an arbitrator in this or any other case."
Chiles' bronze medal finish came after an initial Team USA inquiry into the difficulty of a move increased Chiles' score by 0.100 and pushed her from fifth place to third, edging out Barbosu.
What was considered to be one of the best Olympic Games ever -- with a historic all-Black gymnastics podium -- has now been mired in controversy and confusion.
Team USA has vowed to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. The International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution was the first to report the legal ties between Gharavi and Romania.
ABC News' Clark Bentson contributed to this report.
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