Romanian Gymnast Challenges Floor Score Amid Jordan Chiles Inquiry Drama

There’s more drama surrounding the woman’s floor exercise final, which has caused an uproar in Romania.

PARIS, France — The Romanian Olympic Committee has filed an appeal regarding Sabrina Maneca-Voinea’s score in the floor exercise final at the Paris Games. The dispute arose following a last-minute inquiry initiated by the coaches of American gymnast Jordan Chiles, resulting in significant controversy in Romania.

Maneca-Voinea and her Romanian teammate Ana Barbosu both finished the floor final with identical scores of 13.700. Initially, Barbosu was believed to have secured a bronze medal over Maneca-Voinea through a tiebreaker based on a higher execution score, leading to a brief celebration.

However, the scenario changed when Chiles, who was the last competitor, initially received a score that placed her in fifth place behind Maneca-Voinea. An inquiry from Chiles’ coaches led to a review, and judges subsequently increased her score by 0.1, enabling her to surpass both Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea to claim the bronze medal.

Maneca-Voinea received a 0.1 deduction for allegedly stepping out of bounds during her routine. Replays, however, indicated that her heel narrowly remained inbounds.

Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic Committee, has protested to the International Gymnastics Federation. He argued that the initial challenge was dismissed unjustly and demanded reconsideration of Maneca-Voinea’s score.

“The way in which the score was assessed and the refusal to present the full reasons/proofs for the rejection of the appeal submitted within the time limit set by the rules seriously harms the image of international gymnastics, but in particular affects the athlete, even jeopardizing their mental health,” Covaliu said.

The federation has yet to confirm whether the Romanians filed an appeal or if it would be considered. Additionally, the submission timeline of the initial challenge remains unclear.

The Romanian Gymnastics Federation has also approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They stated that one of their requests is directly related to the inquiry initiated by Chiles’ coaches.

“Aware of the negative impact on Ana Maria Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation aims to correct the mistakes made by the judges and to restore the rights of our athletes,” the federation mentioned.

The floor exercise results have sparked significant discontent in Romania.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Tuesday his decision to boycott the closing ceremony due to the “scandalous situation.” Ciolacu assured that Romania would honor Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea as Olympic medalists, including providing the respective prizes.

Romanian gymnastics icon Nadia Comaneci expressed her displeasure on social media, writing, “I can’t believe we play with athletes’ mental health and emotions like this.”

Barbosu was still on the floor when she noticed the video screen reflecting the adjusted scores. She walked off in tears, visibly affected by the turn of events.

In gymnastics, inquiries are a standard procedure allowing athletes or coaches to request judges to review a routine to ensure elements are rated correctly. Scores can be revised up or down based on these reviews.

Romania, once a dominant force in gymnastics, saw Barbosu’s initial result as a potential long-awaited Olympic medal since their last success at the 2012 London Games.

Rebeca Andrade from Brazil won gold in the floor final, while Chiles’ teammate, Simone Biles, secured the silver medal, concluding the Olympic gymnastics events.

Stephen McGrath in Sighisoara, Romania, contributed to this report.