Romanian Ana Barbosu snatched back her bronze medal in a jaw-dropping reversal at the Paris Games. Barbosu has re-emerged as the rightful bronze medalist in the women’s floor exercise after a controversial scoring review that initially saw her dreams dashed. The decision to revise Jordan Chiles’ score, which had previously bumped Barbosu off the podium, has now been overturned after the Romanian Gymnastics Federation intervened in the matter and legendary gymnast Nadia Comaneci took a stand for her fellow Romanian gymnast. 

This unexpected reversal has not only ignited joy among Romanian fans. But besides the joy, it also sparked a broader discussion on the fairness and transparency of Olympic judging. The controversy found its roots when US gymnast coach Cecile Landi filed an inquiry on the day of the floor routine final at the Paris Olympics. The inquiry resulted in a minute change in the scoring, and as it reflected on the scoreboard, it left both Barbosu and Chiles in tears. However, for American gymnast Jordan Chiles, those were tears of happiness. There was a minor adjustment in the difficulty score for Chiles, and that was enough to edge Barbosu out of third place. Ana Barbosu, who had already begun celebrating with the Romanian flag, was left devastated as the revised results flashed on the screen, pushing her to fourth place. But the opinionated posts of Comaneci and the appeal of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to review the decision have turned the tide again.

A recent post from an X account shared, “The Romanian Gymnastics Federation says the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the bronze medal should be returned to Ana Barbosu, as Jordan Chiles’ inquiry was late. The FIG will make the decision on the final ranking.” The post further shared that the appeal of Romanian athlete Sabrina Maneca-Voinea has been rejected by the authorities. Comaneci took to social media and shared her disbelief at the situation and how this kind of scoring dispute disrupts the mental health and emotions of young athletes. And her words played a huge role in igniting the controversy regarding the matter. However, the day the Romanian Gymnastics Federation shared their appeal, Jordan Chiles also gave an Instagram post and stated that she would distance herself from social media for the time being to prioritize her mental well-being.

The fierce defense of Barbosu resonated with many who felt the initial scoring change was not just unfair but also psychologically damaging. This further led to an outcry among fans on social. The appeal by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation was then taken up by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). And as recent updates reveal, CAS ruled in favor of Barbosu, adjusting Chiles’ score back down to 13.666 and restoring Barbosu to her rightful place on the podium with a score of 13.700.

Netizens expressed displeasure with the chaotic Olympic scoring reversal that awarded bronze to Romania’s Ana Barbosu over Chiles

Such a decision has been met with a wave of relief by Romanian athletes and fans. However, on the other hand, several gymnastics enthusiasts have expressed their resentment on the issue.

One fan’s comment criticized the decision to overturn Jordan Chiles’ score and award the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu, suggesting that Romania only won the medal because of their complaints, rather than merit. The comment read, “Absolutely unacceptable. Just what the fuck. Romania’s medals should forever come with an asterisk that says “only awarded because we are babies that cry until we get what we want”. By saying Romania’s medals should come with an asterisk, the X user probably implied that the medal is tainted or undeserved.

Another fan added that Barbosu’s team should have contested any scoring issues during the competition like the American team’s coaches did when they successfully challenged Jordan Chiles’ floor routine score. “They should have known the rules and challenged them during the event like the US did ”, wrote the user. If they had made the inquiry during the results, probably they might have avoided the emotional turmoil and all the debate.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) got criticized by fans for accepting the US coaches’ inquiry into Jordan Chiles’ score after the official one-minute window had passed. Generally, going by rules, such inquiries must be made within a strict time limit. The X user commented, “The issue was FIG accepting Jordan’s inquiry after 1 minute had passed. Ana’s score did not have to be protested. Still, Jordan should share the bronze imo”. Despite the reversal that gave Barbosu the bronze, the fan believes Chiles should share the medal due to the controversial handling of the situation.

Another X user mentioned, “Wait. So this has happened because the appeal happened one minute outside the timescale? So on a technicality. Not even because of the stepping out thing? This is harsh all round. Someone is ALWAYS going to be sad when something like this happens. 🙁” The fan acknowledged that such controversies result in the the emotional toll of the decision. Such outcomes inevitably leave one athlete devastated, who loses her medal after initially being awarded it due to a scoring inquiry.

Highlighting the chaotic chapters of the controversy, one user commented, “I like how they saw the mess they made and said “let’s make this even more messy” 😬” Initially, the judges revised Jordan Chiles’ score after an inquiry, bumping Ana Barbosu out of bronze medal position. The situation became even more complicated when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later reversed this decision, reinstating Barbosu as the bronze medalist. The comment humorously highlights how the initial correction caused confusion and emotional distress, only for another reversal to create further turmoil before ultimately resolving the issue.