Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has taken to his verified Facebook wall to launch a protest against the organisers of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as his citizen Ana Barbosu, a gymnast, lost her bronze medal to an American gymnast Jordan Chiles.
The angry prime minister said he will snub the Olympic closing ceremony, describing the situation as “scandalous.”
Eighteen-year-old Ana Barbosu broke down in tears after an inquiry led to her losing the individual bronze in the women’s floor exercise final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday. The medal was instead taken by American Jordan Chiles who had demanded an inquiry into her own score.
Chiles, 23, was originally placed fifth but submitted a challenge to judges. Her score was upgraded as a skill in her Gogean routine had initially not been credited. As a result, Chiles leapfrogged Barbosu on to the podium, leaving the Romanian speechless and in tears.
In reaction, the Prime Minister wrote: I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner. To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!
It is unacceptable that, in such a grand competition that promotes values such as respect, understanding and excellence, a child who had honestly earned her medal to be brutally deprived of the result of her work for four years! I couldn’t look at her tears and accept calmly that something like this is perfectly normal!
And the fact that hundreds of millions of viewers from all over the world remained, like us Romanians, literally shocked by this terrible scene, shows that somewhere in the system of organizing this competition, something is wrong.
I remember very well how, in communism, the Russians would steal from us at the Olympics, and we’d try to argue with them with no chance of winning. I do not want to argue with anyone today, but I only choose to protest through my gesture against a blatant injustice to some Romanians who have fully proven their worth!
Sabrina and Ana Maria, you have with you an entire nation for which your work and tears are more precious than any medal, no matter what precious metal they are from! And I assure you that the Romanian state will treat you, including in terms of the prizes, like Olympic medalists. Because that’s what you are for all of us!
