Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu has spoken out after the Olympic medal controversy ended with the bronze medal being stripped from Jordan Chiles and awarded to Barbosu.
On Sunday, August 11, ahead of the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Barbosu, 18, took to her Instagram Stories to react to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that Team USA’s Chiles, 23, would have to return the bronze medal she won during the floor exercises final on August 5.
“Sabrina [Maneca-Voinea]Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know how you feel, because I went through the same thing. But I know you’ll come back stronger,” he wrote to Barbosa, referring to Chiles and her fellow Romanian gymnast, who moved up to fifth and fourth.
“From the bottom of my heart, I hope that at the next Olympic Games we will share all three [the] same podium,” she continued. “This is my real dream!”
USA Gymnastics says it has video proof Jordan Chiles’ request was timely, bronze should be ‘returned’
Ana Barbosa’s Instagram Stories post for Jordan Chiles.
Ana Barbosa/instagram
“This situation would not have happened if the authorities had respected the regulation,” she concluded. “We athletes are not to blame, and the hatred directed at us is painful. I wanted to end this edition of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the spirit of Olympism, the true values of the world.”
Chiles spoke briefly about the controversy, writing on her Instagram stories that she would be taking a break from social media after the ruling in her favor was reversed. I am taking this time to remove myself from social media for my mental health, thank you, she wrote.
In an interview with Good morning America held before the verdict was overturned, Chiles also said he was “proud” of Barboso. “Ana Barbosu, she’s an incredible athlete, she’s done incredible things in her gymnastics as well,” Chiles said. “I am very proud of myself, but also of her.”
Jordan Chiles’ sister calls out racists after IOC says Jordan must return Olympic bronze medal: ‘Racism is real’
PEOPLE previously reported that after the women’s floor final, Chiles initially finished fifth based on the judges’ scoring, with a score of 13.666, and the two Romanian competitors finished third and fourth with scores of 13.700.
Soon after, Chiles’ trainer questioned the decision, claiming her weight score was too low. The CAS judges agreed with the coach and updated Chiles’ score, which moved her to third place overall, ahead of Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea.
The Romanian Olympic Committee challenged the decision, and on Saturday, August 10, CAS decided to reinstate Chiles’ original result, returning her to fifth place and moving both Romanian gymnasts up.
USA Gymnastics previously told PEOPLE in an email that the team was disappointed by the overturning of the ruling and added that it would push for the International Olympic Committee to return Chiles’ medal.
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Jordan Chiles in the women’s floor exercise final in artistic gymnastics.
Tom Weller/VOIGT/Getty
Simone Biles backs Jordan Chiles amid bronze medal controversy: ‘Keep your head up’
“We are saddened by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling regarding the women’s floor exercise. The investigation into the weight value of Jordan Chiles’ floor routine was submitted in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring ,” the organization wrote to PEOPLE.
The team also called for an end to hateful messages sent to Chile following the appeal and verdict.
“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been the subject of consistent, highly baseless and extremely damaging attacks on social media,” the team added to PEOPLE. “No athlete should be subjected to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who participated in, supported or encouraged them. We commend Jordan for acting with integrity on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her.”
Chiles’ mom, Gina Chiles, called out the social media people who accused her daughter of cheating, writing that many of the criticisms leveled at Jordan were racist and “disgusting.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.”Racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024. I’m tired from people saying it doesn’t exist anymore,” Gina wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday, August 9.
“My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is second to none…and she gets called disgusting things,” she added. Many of Chiles’ teammates, including Simone Biles, Suni Lee and Jade Carey, as well as her coach Cecile Landi — who initially questioned her result — also showed their support for the athlete amid the controversy, condemning the attacks against her.
“Jordan won this bronze medal and he didn’t steal anything from anyone,” Landi wrote in a social media comment, after another user accused Chiles of cheating. “I was simply doing my job and fighting for my athlete.”
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Source: HIS Education