Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Tuesday his decision to boycott the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics due to a controversial scoring decision in the women’s gymnastics floor final.
Initially, Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu secured the bronze medal in the floor exercise on Monday and celebrated on the mat. However, following an appeal from the U.S. coaches regarding Jordan Chiles’ score, a review resulted in a 0.1-point increase that placed Chiles ahead of Barbosu, thus awarding her the bronze medal instead.
As a consequence, Barbosu was excluded from the podium. She held a Romanian flag and looked up at the board to see the score change, causing her to drop the flag, cover her face, and walk away in tears.
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Ana Barbosu of Romania during the women’s floor exercise final on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris. (Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
“I have decided to skip the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics due to the disgraceful situation in gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an entirely dishonorable way,” Ciolacu stated in a Facebook update. “To take back a medal earned through hard work because of an appeal is utterly unacceptable!”
Ciolacu also mentioned that Romania will still celebrate Barbosu and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who finished fifth after the review pushed her down from fourth place, as Olympic medalists. Both athletes will receive monetary rewards for their performances.
“You have the support of an entire nation that values your efforts and sacrifices more than any medal, regardless of the metal they are made of,” Ciolacu emphasized.
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Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles of the United States pose with their medals after the artistic gymnastics women’s floor exercise final on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris. (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Ciolacu remarked that viewers around the world were “appalled by this shocking scene” and expressed concerns that “there is something fundamentally wrong in the organization of this competition.”
Gymnastics icon Nadia Comaneci criticized the score adjustment in a social media statement on Monday. Comaneci, who won five gold medals in her Olympic career, was the first gymnast to achieve a perfect 10 at the 1976 Summer Games.
“I can’t believe we toy with the mental health and emotions of athletes in this way… we must protect them,” the nine-time Olympic medalist expressed on X.
Coach Cecile Landi defended the choice to question the score.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkiye, May 21, 2024. (Turkish Presidency/ Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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“At this juncture, we had nothing to lose, so I thought, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’” said Landi. “I genuinely didn’t anticipate this outcome, but when I heard her shout, I turned around in disbelief.”
The Paris Olympics signify Romania’s return to gymnastics since the London 2012 Games. The country boasts an impressive history in gymnastics with 12 medals, including golds in 1984, 2000, and 2004. However, Romania has not yet secured a gymnastics medal in Paris, while the U.S. has achieved 10 medals so far, including Chiles’ bronze in the floor event.
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