Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Tuesday that he will not attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics after Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu was denied a medal due to a late score revision.
Barbosu had believed she secured the bronze medal in the floor exercise on Monday at the Bercy Arena in Paris, standing third in the standings after her performance. However, coaches for American gymnast Jordan Chiles, who was initially ranked fifth, appealed for a score review.
The appeal led to a revision that upgraded Chiles to the bronze medal position, pushing Barbosu off the podium and leaving her in tears.
In a Facebook post, Ciolacu expressed his outrage over the situation. “I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner,” he wrote. “It is unacceptable that, in such a great competition that promotes values such as respect, understanding, and excellence, a child who had honestly earned her medal is brutally deprived of the result of four years of work!”
Legendary Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, famed for achieving the first perfect score of 10 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, also voiced her disappointment over the incident. She took to social media platform X to support Barbosu, saying, “I can’t believe we play with athletes’ mental health and emotions like this.”
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Romanian PM to snub Paris closing ceremony after medal denied
cgtn.com
