IOC Approves Romania to Award Gymnast Ana Barbosu Bronze Medal After CAS Ruling

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Thursday that Romania is allowed to award gymnast Ana Barbosu a bronze medal. This decision has set the stage for a medal ceremony scheduled for Friday amidst ongoing tensions related to a highly publicized sports dispute.

The IOC’s statement highlighted that the revised ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) is based on a final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is binding for all involved parties. While an appeal in the Swiss Federal Supreme Court remains a possibility, the CAS ruling is enforceable immediately, meaning that Barbosu is entitled to receive her medal.

American gymnast Jordan Chiles currently holds the bronze medal she was awarded for her performance in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics, according to two sources familiar with the situation who requested to remain anonymous. Chiles retains possession of the medal, and U.S. officials have stated that she will not return it at this time.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) plans to appeal the CAS’s ruling, citing “significant procedural errors” during the arbitration process. The appeal is expected to be made to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

According to the USOPC, critical communications from CAS were mistakenly sent to incorrect email addresses for both the USOPC and USA Gymnastics from August 6 to August 9. This error was not corrected until August 9, which was three days after the appeal was filed, two days past the objection deadline, and less than 24 hours before the hearing. The mishap severely limited their opportunity to respond adequately or to collect necessary evidence.

In their assertion, U.S. officials provided a time-stamped video indicating that their appeal regarding Chiles’ score was submitted 47 seconds after her score was announced—well within the one-minute timeline—contrary to the CAS hearing’s claim, which stated it was submitted four seconds past the deadline. Although the CAS dismissed the request to reopen the case, the USOPC has maintained that new evidence supports their position, highlighting administrative mistakes by FIG and procedural mishandlings by CAS. They argue that this situation deprived them of a fair hearing.

In an effort to resolve the dispute, both U.S. and Romanian officials previously suggested awarding bronze medals to both Chiles and Barbosu. However, FIG did not accept this proposal. Following this, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee took the initiative to proceed with awarding Barbosu her medal independently.

This swift move by the Romanian officials stands in stark contrast to the protracted timeline seen during the recent Kamila Valieva doping scandal, where various international sports organizations took considerable time to reach conclusions. As a result, the U.S. and Japanese figure skating teams only received their gold and silver medals at the Paris Summer Olympics 2½ years after their competition at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The developments surrounding Barbosu’s medal have sparked significant conversation and controversy in the world of gymnastics, as athletes and officials alike navigate the complexities of competitive rulings and procedural justice.

This situation underlines the ongoing friction in international sports, where the quest for fairness and recognition continues to challenge governing bodies and the athletes they represent. As both parties pursue their claims, the outcome of the appeal and the impending medal ceremony promises to maintain the spotlight on these unresolved issues.

Source: USA TODAY