The IOC is asking Jordan Chiles to return her bronze medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided an appeal that vaulted her to third. (0:58)
Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu received her Olympic bronze medal during a ceremony on Friday that marked the conclusion of a swirl of controversy after the medal was first awarded to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles. AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru
The medal was reallocated to Barbosu after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week voided an appeal by Team USA coach Cecile Landi during the Aug. 5 floor exercise final in Paris, which had vaulted Chiles into third place and pushed Barbosu down to fourth.
Chiles was initially awarded the bronze following the appeal and participated in the medal ceremony following the competition.
That decision caused an uproar in Romania, historically a gymnastics powerhouse, and led its gymnastics federation to request a review of the U.S. team's appeal procedure. CAS ultimately ruled in favor of Barbosu, saying the U.S. team had made its appeal four seconds beyond the one-minute deadline.
Speaking to reporters on Friday after receiving her medal, Barbosu said the resolution of the controversy "was possible with the help of the federation and the law firm who did not give up on us athletes and fought for us."
"I am very happy to have this medal and hope to represent Romania at the highest level and bring home more medals," she said.
Romania was a longtime superpower in gymnastics but has failed to excel in recent years. Barbosu's result brings home Romania's first women's Olympic medal in gymnastics since the 2012 London Games. USA Gymnastics has said it will continue efforts to let Chiles keep her medal.
