The Swiss Federal Tribunal has ordered a retrial at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case concerning the bronze medal won by Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu at the Paris Olympics, the president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR), Mihai Covaliu, told AGERPRES on Thursday.
He also said that the appeal filed by gymnast Sabrina Voinea was rejected by the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
"First of all, only the lawyers have been notified. Nothing has been published on the website yet; the report is not public. From what we know, it will appear online tomorrow. For now, the parties have been informed. We are studying the ruling and preparing the next steps. The decision states that Sabrina Voinea's appeal was rejected, while the tribunal reconsidered the evidence submitted by the U.S. Gymnastics Federation and sent it back to CAS for reevaluation. At this moment, we rely on the lawyers' statement. Once the full report is published tomorrow, we will be able to comment further," Covaliu said.
The COSR president stressed that the institution will thoroughly examine the Swiss Federal Tribunal's full report before deciding on its strategy at CAS.
"We defend Romania's position first and foremost - that is natural and it is our duty. We will see what the next steps are. The information is fresh, and we do not want to rush. We must analyze the situation carefully to determine the strategy going forward. Let's see what the full report shows once it is published," he added.
Romania initially secured the bronze medal in the floor final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games through Ana Maria Barbosu. On August 5, Barbosu held the bronze position for several tens of seconds before American Jordan Chiles successfully appealed her score, which was raised from 13.666 to 13.766, moving her into third place. Sabrina Maneca-Voinea also appealed her 13.700 score, but her challenge was rejected.
CAS later ruled that the bronze medal should be awarded to Ana Maria Barbosu, with Sabrina Maneca-Voinea placed fourth and Jordan Chiles fifth.
Both the U.S. Gymnastics Federation and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea subsequently appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
Romanian gymnastics had not reached an Olympic podium since the 2012 London Games, when Sandra Izbasa won gold on vault, Catalina Ponor took silver on floor, and the women's team earned bronze.
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