Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has revealed that he will boycott the Paris Olympics’ closing ceremony.
Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu thought that she had secured a bronze medal in France, only to see her third-place finish stripped from her. Barbosu had already started celebrating her success in the floor event before the coaches of Jordan Chiles appealed against her score.
An inquiry was then held into Chiles’ scoring and a decision was made for her mark to be improved by a further 0.1, which saw her clinch gold and Barbosu slip off of the podium.
The outcome left those in Romania infuriated, especially Prime Minister Ciolacu. The 56-year-old revealed on Facebook that he is set to boycott the Olympics’ closing ceremony as he is still unhappy with how Barbosu was pushed off of the podium via an enquiry.
He said: “I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonourable manner.
“To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal … is totally unacceptable!”
