Romania’s prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said that he will boycott the Paris Olympics closing ceremony due to a “scandalous situation” that cost a Romanian gymnast a bronze medal.
Ana Barbosu had already begun celebrating her bronze for the floor event Monday when coaches for American Jordan Chiles entered an appeal to judges over Chiles’ score. The inquiry resulted in a 0.1 boost for Chiles, enough to overtake Barbosu for the last spot on the podium.
“I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonuorable manner,” Ciolacu said in a Facebook post. “To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal … is totally unacceptable!”
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Ciolacu promised Romania would honour Barbosu and fifth-place finisher Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, also Romanian, as Olympic medallists, “including in terms of the prizes.”
“You have with you an entire nation for which your work and tears are more precious than any medal, no matter what precious metal they are from,” Ciolacu said.
Barbosu was standing on the floor holding a Romanian flag when she looked up and saw the scoring change on the video board. She dropped the flag in shock, brought her hands to her face and walked off in tears.
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Inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions, with athletes or coaches asking judges to review a routine to ensure elements are rated properly. Scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry.
The revised scoring of Chiles’ performance also nudged Maneca-Voinea down to fifth place.
Romania was a long-time superpower in gymnastics, but this was the program’s return to the Olympics after a 12-year break.
Romanian gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci also lashed out after the event, writing on X, “I can’t believe we play with athletes’ mental health and emotions like this.”
Comaneci also urged a review of Voinea’s routine, believing the athlete didn’t step outside the floor surface, an act she had been penalised for.
Ciolacu said that viewers worldwide were “literally shocked by this terrible scene” and said it highlights that “somewhere in the system of organising this competition, something is wrong.”
