Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu will be awarded the bronze medal in the women's floor exercise on August 16 in a ceremony in Bucharest, but the controversy over who finished third in the competition at the Paris Olympics is far from settled.
The Romanian Olympics Sports Committee announced the ceremony in a press release on August 13, saying that Octavian Morariu, a member of the International Olympic Committee for Romania, and Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, will present the medal to Barbosu.
The event will take place on the esplanade of the Olympic House on August 16 starting at 3:30 p.m. Bucharest time.
The controversy arose after the medal was awarded to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles after her coach appealed her score at the end of the competition on August 5.
Chiles's score was increased to 13.766 from 13.666 after U.S. coach Cecile Landi appealed a deduction that Chiles had received on one element, known as a tour jete full. The appeal, known as an inquiry in gymnastics, wiped away the deduction, moved Chiles into third, and knocked Barbosu off the podium.
Days later the Court of Arbitration (CAS) ruled that the inquiry was made past the 1-minute limit allowed under the rules of the International Gymnastics Federation, thus reinstating Chiles's original 13.666 score. The ruling bumped Barbosu back into the bronze position.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on August 11 that Chiles must return the medal, but it is still unknown if Chiles has done so or if Barbosu will be receiving a new one.
Chiles called the CAS panel's decision that she must return the medal “unjust” and a “significant blow” in a message posted on social media on August 15.
“I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career,” Chiles posted. “Believe me when I say I have had many. I will approach the challenge as I have others -- and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”
She also said that "unprompted racially driven attacks on social media" had added to the heartbreak, calling them "wrong and extremely hurtful."
While the IOC said it would respect the CAS ruling, USA Gymnastics said in a statement on August 12 that it would "continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan."
USA Gymnastics said in a statement quoted by the Washington Post on August 14 that it had time-stamped video proving Landi initiated the inquiry 47 seconds after Chiles's score was posted. USA Gymnastics said the footage was not available to the organization at the time of the hearing, and said that it was given less than 24 hours' notice of the hearing.
USA Gymnastics said it was notified by the CAS on August 12 that its rules do not allow for the award to be reconsidered "even when conclusive new evidence is presented," adding that it was "deeply disappointed by the notification."
Since the CAS ruling, reports have surfaced that the chair of the panel appointed by the court to rule on the decision about the bronze medal originally awarded to Chiles included an official with ties to Romania. The reports cited documents that show Hamid Gharavi, a lawyer, previously represented Romania in international disputes.