Latest news: Sabrina Voinea’s exercise will be reanalyzed, sources say.
Mihai Covaliu, the president of the Romanian Olympic Sports Committee, reacts after the scandal in gymnastics, from the 2024 Olympic Games, when gymnast Ana Barbosu lost the bronze medal, saying that our athletes were wronged and announced that the Gymnastics Federation will file a complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“It’s quite unpleasant what happened there because, until we get to the technical details that I can’t discuss because I’m not a specialist in gymnastics, but, from yesterday until today, all kinds of arguments have been brought clearly in favor of Sabrina Voinea and the grade she was supposed to receive. It’s unpleasant and I could hear it before all these opinions right there on the spot, the whole room disagreed with Sabrina’s grade, after that with the fact that the USA athlete was graded the way she was graded and came back after that on the mark and thus we were wronged by this decision and thus we lost a medal. “Stealing” is way too harsh a word, but the fact that Sabrina’s team filed an appeal that wasn’t accepted, and Team USA filed an appeal and it was approved, raises some questions here. We sent a letter to the International Gymnastics Federation last night, we received a reply today that it arrived and was received. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation makes the necessary and appropriate steps to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation will appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. We are fighting for Sabrina’s rights and for the grade she should have received to be the correct one. Now, let’s see how things evolve,” declared Mihai Covaliu.
Regarding Sabrina Voinea’s withdrawal decision, Mihai Covaliu says that she should not give up the fight. “I think not. It’s normal that when you’re angry, it’s normal to have all kinds of reactions like this, but I sent a message where I told them that this only proves that they are valuable and that they can win medals for Romania. It’s normal, it’s a hard, difficult moment, but I don’t think Sabrina will give up because she’s a fighter and she already has a challenge,” stated Covaliu.
Romanian PM will not participate in the closing ceremony as a sign of protest
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Tuesday that he decided not to participate in the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, “after the scandalous situation in gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable way.” “To withdraw a medal obtained through honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!” declared the Prime Minister.
“I remember very well how, under communism, the Russians stole the Olympics from us, and we tried to argue with them without having much chance of winning. I don’t want to argue with anyone today, but I just choose to protest with my gesture against a flagrant injustice towards some Romanian women who have fully proven their worth! Sabrina and Ana Maria, you have a whole nation by your side for whom your work and tears are more precious than any medal, no matter what precious metal it is! And I assure you that the Romanian state will treat you, including in terms of prizes, like Olympic medalists. Because that’s what you are for all of us!”, said Ciolacu.
Sabrina Voinea’s floor exercise to be reanalyzed
Sabrina Voinea’s floor exercise will be reanalyzed, after Nadia Comăneci sent several requests to the president of the International Gymnastics Federation on Tuesday morning, reports Andrei Nourescu, the special envoy of Euronews Romania in Paris.
“Nadia Comăneci sent several requests this morning to the president of the International Gymnastics Federation, Morinari Watanabe. He replied that the FIG would review this exercise. They will look again at Sabrina Voinea’s exercise to really see if it was an irregularity”, says Nourescu.
In an interview with Euronews Romania, Nadia Comăneci stated that the way Sabrina Voinea was scored on her floor exercise represents “the big dilemma.”
“For me, the big dilemma is Sabrina Voinea because no one understood what was happening with the one-tenth deduction. It’s a neutral deduction, minus one-tenth, which is usually given when you are out of bounds.
I watched the video now, the corners, the video sent by NBC. They also didn’t understand why that deduction was given…I asked the head umpire and she said she put the heel on. I haven’t seen any pictures of him putting the heel on.“