By: Rachael Tan

Since the 2024 Paris Olympics ended Sunday, controversy has arisen about whether who should actually receive the women’s gymnastics floor bronze medal.

American gymnast Jordan Chiles made it onto the podium as the bronze medalist after an inquiry filed by her coach, Cecile Landi.

Landi felt that the difficulty score should have been higher on Chiles’ floor routine because she executed a difficult leap that was not counted. After a review, judges awarded Chiles an extra one-tenth of a point, bumping her to third, and winning the medal.

Ana Bărbosu, the previous bronze medalist, dropped her Romanian flag in shock as she walked off the floor in tears.

But why is this up for debate once again?

An inquiry must be filed within one minute of the release of the score. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed to the court and argued that Chiles’ inquiry was submitted four seconds too late, meaning the inquiry would not be valid.

The International Gymnastics Federation, also known as FIG, ultimately decided that Bărbosu would be in third, but left the decision of who gets the medal up to the International Olympic Committee.

Bărbosu will be awarded a bronze medal at an event in Bucharest, the country’s capital, said The Romanian Gymnastics Federation on Friday.

Following this announcement, Chiles posted two Instagram stories, one with four broken heart emojis and another that said, “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you.”