The controversy surrounding the bronze medal for the floor exercise final at the Paris Olympics has taken yet another bizarre twist.
Sabrina Maneca-Voinea and the Romanian Gymnastics Federation filed an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal over a decision to dock Voinea 0.10 points for going out of bounds during the floor final.
They had challenged the decision through the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the CAS rejected it, calling it a “field-of-play” decision and
Maneca-Voinea and the Romanian Gymnastics Federation are now turning to the Swiss Federal Tribunal to get her score adjusted, which would make her the bronze medal winner.
It’s the same bronze that has been at the center of controversy after American gymnast Jordan Chiles was stripped of on the final day of the Summer Olympics after the CAS ruled that an appeal during the competition to have Chiles’ score adjusted was submitted four seconds too late.
Because of the ruling, Chiles’ score was changed and thus Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu finished with a better score, making her the bronze medal winner.
However, the new wrinkle makes the confusing situation even more murky.
Replays showed that Voinea did not go out of bounds during her performance, according to USA Today, and her score would have been 13.8 without the 0.10-point deduction.
It would have put her ahead of Barbosu’s score and Chiles’ scores before and after the appeal.
In a decision issued Aug. 14, the CAS wrote that reversing the call would be second-guessing the judges.
“The decision as to whether a 0.1 deduction was appropriate is a textbook example of a ‘field of play’ decision, one that does not permit the arbitrators to substitute their views for that of the referee,” CAS wrote, according to USA Today. “It warrants the non-interference of CAS as it entails the exercise of judgment by the referee, based on expertise in the ‘field of play.’
“Whether the judgment is right or wrong, it cannot be reviewed.”
The situation has created plenty of anger and USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have already said they had also planned to appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
The Americans plan to appeal the CAS ruling based on what they argue are procedural errors by the CAS and video evidence.
Chiles commented on the situation earlier this month in a lengthy statement posted to her social media.
The American thanked those who had supported her during the Saga and Chiles lamented how things have played out/
“I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey,” she wrote.
