Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu was awarded the bronze medal in the women's floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on August 16 in a ceremony in Bucharest amid controversy over who finished third in the competition.
"This result came after many years of work in the gym," Barbosu said, adding that the situation is "tough" for all the three gymnasts involved in the controversy, which arose after the bronze medal was awarded to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles after her coach appealed her score at the end of the competition on August 5.
"It's a tough situation for us, with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions. I hope everyone understands that we did nothing wrong at the Olympics. And that the Olympic spirit is more important than any misunderstanding between the authorities," she added.
Octavian Morariu, Romania's representative in the IOC, and Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, awarded Barbosu in the Bucharest ceremony.
"Today only one thing happened: Justice was done.... Well done, Ana Maria," Morariu said.
On the night of the competition Chiles's score was increased to 13.766 from 13.666 after her coach appealed her marks, and this moved her into third place, knocking Barbosu off the podium and leaving Barbosu in tears.
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.
The medal that Barbosu received on August 16 is another medal sent by the IOC for the ceremony in Bucharest.
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."
Chiles herself has called the CAS panel's decision that she must return the medal "unjust" and has said she would "make every effort to ensure that justice is served."
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.
