Marcel Ciolacu, the Romanian Prime Minister, has pledged to boycott the Olympic Games closing ceremony, citing the controversy between Team USA gymnastics and Team Romania athletes.
This announcement comes after American gymnast Jordan Chiles scored a bronze medal after a score reversal — beating out two Romanian athletes from receiving a medal in the process.
Gymnastics Controversy at the Olympics
The Olympics has seemingly been full of controversy this year. After a much-talked-about opening ceremony that offended Christians around the world, controversy has now hit gymnastics.
This viral event occurred when gymnasts from around the world were competing during the floor competition.
Chiles Gets an Upgraded Score
Team USA’s Chiles at first ended up in sixth place after performing her floor routine in the competition.
However, her coaches felt that there was an error in the scoring, so they talked to the event organizers to see if this could be fixed. They were successful in their endeavors.
Chiles Jumps to Third Place
This ultimately led to Chiles jumping up in the ranking, going from sixth place all the way to third. In the process, she jumped over Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.
This score upgrade allowed Chiles to receive a bronze medal. USA’s Simone Biles received silver, while Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade took home the gold.
A Viral and Controversial Moment
This event quickly went viral, as many Americans were happy to see Chiles place, especially as she was able to receive her first individual Olympic medal.
However, many Romanian supporters were quick to criticize this sudden score upgrade, especially as it knocked out two Romanian athletes. This situation immediately became controversial.
The Move Has Been Questioned
Online critics aren’t the only ones who have questioned this decision. Many pundits have wondered about what ultimately led the judges to upgrade Chiles’ score.
Meanwhile, reporting has come out to confirm that Barbosu, 18, was devastated by the decision, as she was suddenly unable to place and receive a medal.
Romanian Politicians Have Gymnasts’ Backs
Many Romanian politicians have publicly come out to support the two gymnasts in this controversial moment.
Romania’s Prime Minister Ciolacu is the latest figure to do so — and has announced his intent to not attend the closing ceremony in Paris because of this situation.
A Scandalous Gymnastics Moment
In a post on Facebook, Ciolacu wrote that he would not participate in the closing ceremony because of this “scandalous” situation.
“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,” he wrote.
An Unacceptable Situation
Ciolacu further explained that he felt the upgrading of Chiles’ performance — which then affected two Romanian gymnasts — was completely unacceptable.
He added, “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!”
Something Is Wrong
The Romanian prime minister also stated that he, alongside many other Romanians, felt that something was wrong after watching this rescoring.
“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,” Ciolacu said.
Siding With Romania’s Gymnasts
Ciolacu ended his statement by saying he didn’t want to argue, and that he is siding with the two Romanian gymnasts who feel devastated by this sudden change.
He ended, “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!”
What Chiles’ Coach Has Said
Meanwhile, Cecile Landi, Chiles’ coach, explained that she decided to appeal the scoring because she felt it was the right thing to do.
She said, “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?’”
Ruling Controversy
The appeal by the American team was ultimately overturned by an IOC ruling despite Chiles initially being awarded the bronze medal.
According to officials, the appeal came just seconds after the allotted one-minute window to appeal, invalidating Chiles’ score upgrade.
Rare Situation
Now Chiles is in a rare situation in Olympic history where she is being forced to return her bronze medal without accusations of cheating or doping.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) contends that because the appeal shouldn’t have been allowed, she will now have to return the medal to the rightful athlete.
Chiles’ Response
While initially celebrating her bronze medal win on social media, as the controversy started to heat up, Chiles expressed disappointment with the situation.
“It’s funny how people can still never be happy for someone,” wrote Chiles in an August 5 X post.
Criticizing Chiles
Some users under her posts took to criticizing the Olympic athlete, with some demanding that she give the medal back.
“If I were you, I would have gave up the medal, if you’re a true champion, work harder next time and don’t steal medals because the new narrative is in your favor! Shame on you and specially shame on @Olympics,” said X user Victor Stan.
Cheating Accusations
Other users accused the American team and Chiles’ of cheating with their appeal attempt that boosted her score into the bronze medal ranking.
“You are aware that you won by cheating right? That medal belongs to Ana Bărbosu,” wrote an X user.
IOC Statement
In a statement to NBC News, the IOC asked for help in obtaining medals and diplomas.
The IOC asked sporting committees “for their support in obtaining the return of the medals or diplomas,” the group told NBC News in an email. “In many cases, this request leads to the return of the medals and diplomas. This holds true for medal reallocations of the past as well as recent years.”
Past Medal Returns
The demand for medal returns is not uncommon for athletes who are found to be guilty of doping or cheating violations. In 2008, Usain Bolt had to return a 4×100-meter gold medal after one of his teammates was caught with a doping violation.
“I’m not happy about it, but it’s just one of those things that happen in life,” Bolt said then.
Making Plans to Secure the Bronze
In a statement on Sunday, the IOC relayed that it is coordinating with Romania to set up a new ceremony for who they deemed was the rightful bronze medal holder, as well as making efforts to recovering the bronze medal.
“We are in touch with the NOC [National Olympic Committee] of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal,” the IOC said in a statement.
Pushing Back Against the Ruling
In response to the IOC’s demands for the medal to be returned, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced an intent to appeal the ruling and fight for Chiles’ bronze.
“We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed,” said U.S. Olympic officials.
Committed to Appeal
U.S. Olympic officials were adamant that the IOC is making the wrong call, insisting that Chiles deserved proper recognition for her performance.
“Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves,” the U.S. committee said. “We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.”
Cruel and Unfair
As the controversy gained more attention, some athletes expressed empathy for Chiles given her situation.
“I’m just so gutted for Jordan … I think it’s so unfair. It’s so cruel and I don’t think that Jordan should have to give her medal back. The IOC has given more than one medal before and I think that they should do that now,” said six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman on the “TODAY” show on August 12.
Judgess Made a Mistake
Raisman asserted that the judges in this instance made a mistake that isn’t fair to the athlete.
“The judges did make a mistake. They put the inquiry in, the judges accepted it, which meant that they felt that it was under that minute,” said Raisman. Raisman called for “a lot more transparency” in how organizations like the IOC make their rulings in the future.
