NCAA gymnastics will get a dose of international drama next year.
Romanian Olympic medalist Ana Barbosu announced her commitment to Stanford this Wednesday.
“It seems almost surreal to announce that I have been accepted to Stanford University!” she wrote in a statement. “I can’t wait to join this amazing family! Go Card!”
Barbosu will now compete on the coast with American gymnast Jordan Chiles, who goes to UCLA. Stanford and UCLA are historic rivals in college sports, as they were flagship schools in the Pac-12 before the conference saw a mass exodus of programs last season.
UCLA is now in its inaugural season in the Big Ten, while Stanford has joined the ACC. However, the two gymnastics programs are still competing against each other, as they have a meeting scheduled this season in March and will likely continue to face each other in the future.
With Chiles still set to compete for UCLA in 2026, any potential matchup against Stanford will pit the two gymnasts against each other after they were at the center of a global controversy over the rightful winner of a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Chiles is currently immersed in a court battle over the medal.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Ana Barbosu of Romania enters the arena before the floor final at the Paris Olympic Games on August 5, 2024. (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
At the end of the floor exercise final at the Summer Games in August, Barbosu claimed third place and a spot on the podium after initially finishing. Barbosu was visibly excited when she saw the final results.
But then, an American coach spoke to the judges and appealed the score on one of Chiles’ plays. After review, Chiles’ score increased, placing the American in third place and leaving Barbosu off the podium. When Barbosu looked up and saw the score change on the board, he dropped the Romanian flag he was holding, covered his face with his hands, and walked away crying.
Chiles accepted the bronze medal and joined American teammate Simone Biles and gold medal winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil on the podium.
But days later, on August 10, it was announced that the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the panel of judges had improperly granted an investigation that Chiles score increased. It ruled that the appeal had been filed after the one-minute deadline and should not have been granted.
The next day, the International Olympic Committee determined that Chiles must return the bronze medal he won in the Paris Olympic Games.
Although Chiles was ordered to return the medal, there have been no reports that he has done so. She called the ruling “unfair” in a statement that same week.
“This decision feels unfair and represents a significant blow, not only to me, but to everyone who has defended my journey. To add to the anguish, the spontaneous racially motivated attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I have poured out “My heart and soul are in this sport and I am very proud to represent my culture and my country,” Chiles said.
TEAM USA’S TOP 5 MOMENTS AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS
Jordan Chiles is congratulated by teammate Simone Biles after dramatically claiming the bronze medal with a score change during the Summer Olympics on August 5, 2024 in Paris. (Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Barbosu received her bronze medal shortly after finishing the Olympics and expressed her sympathy for her American opponent, as well as her Romanian teammate, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, whose finish was also affected by the score change. round.
“I can’t help but think about Sabrina and Jordan right now,” Bărbosu said in a statement. “It is a difficult situation for us, with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions. I hope everyone understands that we have done nothing wrong at the Olympic Games. And that the Olympic spirit is more important than any misunderstanding between the authorities.
“I want to believe that the day will come when all three of us will receive a bronze medal.”
Gymnast Ana María Barbosu poses with her Olympic bronze medal on August 16, 2024 in Bucharest, Romania. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images)
Chiles went on to say that the emotional devastation of losing the medal was related to her “skin color,” when she gave her first interview about the incident this week during a panel at the Forbes Power Women’s Summit 2024 in September.
“For me, everything that has happened has nothing to do with the medal, but with the color of my skin,” Chiles said, sobbing.
Chiles previously claimed that he was facing “racial attacks” from social media users in a statement posted to X on August 15. When Chiles won the bronze medal, it resulted in the first gymnastics podium in Olympic history to feature three black contestants.
Chiles and the United States team are currently appealing against the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over its decision.
Chiles’ lawyers have argued that his coach did indeed make the request on time and that there is video evidence to prove it, and they have also indicated that the official who made the decision to strip Chiles of his medal had ties to Romania.
“Chiles asks the Supreme Court to determine that the CAS decision was procedurally deficient for two reasons,” Chiles’ lawyers said in a statement, according to to Olympics.com.
Team USA, from left, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee after competing in the women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the Summer Olympics, July 28, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
“First, the CAS violated Chile’s ‘fundamental right to be heard’ by refusing to consider video evidence showing that its investigation was presented on time, in direct contradiction to the conclusions of the CAS decision.
“Second, the entire CAS procedure was unfair because Chiles was not properly informed that Hamid G. Gharavi, the chairman of the CAS panel that revoked Chiles’ bronze medal and awarded it to a Romanian gymnast, had “a serious conflict of interest: Mr. Gharavi has acted as Romania’s lawyer for almost a decade and was actively representing Romania at the time of the CAS arbitration.”
Chiles also filed an appeal before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court to annul the CAS decision. He argued that he was not given a fair opportunity to defend himself and that the CAS did not properly consider the video evidence.
