In one large FUBAR of a bureaucratic blunder, the Olympic brass has managed to transform a moment of triumph into a tale of heartbreak for two female gymnasts at the Olympics in France. 23-year-old Jordan Chiles, the American gymnast who dazzled the crowd last Monday and thought she’d earned a bronze medal in the floor exercise final, now finds herself embroiled in a drama that has her being ordered to return that shiny hardware to Romania’s 18-year-old Ana Barbosu.
Nothing says “Olympic spirit” like telling an athlete they won and then yanking it back.
How did this happen?
After her floor routine, Barbosu thought she had won the bronze. She was already celebrating, holding onto her country’s flag, when the news came down that Chiles was going to get the bronze instead after USA appealed the score. Cue the look of shock and heartbreak on Barbosu’s face. Then, Chiles stepped up to the podium with the other winners, proudly, smiling wide and showing off her medal after she rose from fifth place to third.
But…NOT SO FAST!
Rules? They have those?
By Saturday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said that the bronze medal needed to go back in Barbosu’s hands because it was decided that USA didn’t meet their one-minute deadline in their appeal. They were four seconds over the time limit.
So what if Chiles actually did a better job than Barbosu??!!! It’s the four seconds that are important to them. On the flip side, USA Gymnastics criticized the ruling saying that it’s far more important to ensure the score is accurate.
So, instead of being in fourth place, Barbosu is in third place again – but without the pomp and circumstance of the medal ceremony. And without basking in the roaring crowds. She may be the winner now but she missed out on all of the pageantry that comes along with being an Olympics champion.
And Chiles isn’t faring much better. She’s losing the medal – and she was harassed on social media (even though none of this is her fault). So she’s taking a break from dealing with the internet trolls and mean-spirited hooligans.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Olympics Paralympic Committee is appealing the whole thing.
Great job, Olympics!
If they had any decency, they’d just give both girls bronze medals. After all, they are perfectly fine giving out medals for breakdancing (that’s not a sport OR a game) and giving out medals to men competing in women’s sports. So what’s the big deal???!
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