Romanian PM to boycott Paris Olympics closing ceremony. Here's why

'To withdraw a medal earned through honest effort on the basis of an appeal is totally unacceptable,' said Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu

Paris Olympics 2024: Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Tuesday that he will boycott the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics in protest of a controversial scoring decision in the women’s gymnastics floor final.

Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu initially secured the bronze medal in Monday’s floor exercise, celebrating her achievement on the mat. However, the outcome was upended when US coaches lodged an appeal regarding Jordan Chiles’ score. The subsequent review resulted in a 0.1 point increase for Chiles, elevating her to the bronze medal position and pushing Barbosu off the podium.

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Barbosu, who was proudly holding a Romanian flag, was devastated upon seeing the revised scores. She dropped the flag, covered her face with her hands, and walked away in tears.

 

We have everything in these games, #Diversity, exactly as wanted. We have chromosomes, we have arbitrations, appeals and messes.
We love #AnaBarbosu on 4th place too, no problem, but you are playing with the souls of children who gave everything there. ????????????#4???? pic.twitter.com/o8SwbVdKmH

— Catalina (@emgot88) August 5, 2024

Prime Minister Ciolacu expressed outrage over the decision in a Facebook post, stating, “I have 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 dishonourable manner. To withdraw a medal earned through honest effort on the basis of an appeal is totally unacceptable!”

Despite the outcome, Ciolacu vowed that Romania would still honour Barbosu and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who was moved from fourth to fifth place after the review, as Olympic medalists. Both athletes will receive medal prize money. “An entire nation stands with you, recognising that your hard work and tears are more valuable than any medal, regardless of the metal it is made from,” Ciolacu wrote.

He further emphasised that viewers around the world were “shocked by this terrible scene” and suggested that “something is wrong within the system of organising this competition”.

Romanian gymnastics icon Nadia Comaneci, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, also condemned the score change in a social media post on Monday. “I can’t believe we play with athletes’ mental health and emotions like this… let’s protect them,” the legendary gymnast wrote on X.

US coach Cecile Landi, on the other hand, defended the decision to challenge the score. “At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I thought, ‘We’re just going to try’,” Landi said. “I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen, but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like, ‘What?’”

The Paris Olympics marked Romania’s return to gymnastics after an absence since the 2012 London Games. With a history of taking home 12 Olympic medals, including golds in 1984, 2000, and 2004, the country has yet to win a gymnastics medal in Paris. Meanwhile, the US has secured 10 gymnastics medals, with Chiles taking bronze in the floor event.