The event's organizers were convinced by Chiles' coaches that there had been an error in the judges' scoring on Monday, and the difficulty of her routine was elevated, lifting her from sixth place to fourth.
This allowed her to slot in ahead of Romanian duo Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea to win her first individual Olympic medal. Chiles also claimed gold in the team all-around event last week.
The decision left 18-year-old Barbosu devastated and has been questioned by pundits. Ciolacu, 56, did not hold back in his verdict, insisting he is so disgusted that he will not attend Sunday's closing ceremony in Paris.
"I decided not to participate in the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, after the scandalous situation in gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable way," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. "To withdraw a medal earned by honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!"
"The fact that hundreds of millions of viewers from all over the world were, like us Romanians, effectively shocked by this terrible scene, shows that somewhere, in the system of organizing this competition, something is wrong."
"I don't want to argue with anyone today, but I just choose to protest with my gesture against a blatant injustice towards some Romanian women who have fully proven their worth! Sabrina and Ana Maria, you have a whole nation by your side for whom your work and tears are more valuable than any medal, no matter what precious metal it is! ".
Chiles' coach Cecile Landi made sense of the choice to contest, stating: "Today [she was] a little sloppy on the landing. But at this point, we had nothing to lose so I was like 'We're just going to try. I honestly didn't think it was going to happen but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like 'What? '".
The medals then were awarded, with an unforgettable moment ensuing as Biles and Chiles respectfully dropped to their knees to honor Brazil's star Andrade, creating one of the everlasting visuals from these competitions.
Romania sits at 16th place in the medal tally with their three gold, three silver, and one bronze triumphs, while the US reigns supreme topping the table with an impressive collection of 86 decorations, including 24 of the coveted gold variety.
For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
Comments / 0