The 2024 Olympic floor finals ended in dramatic fashion. The “final” results were posted, the athletes were celebrating… BUT WAIT! A score inquiry was submitted following the final routine, and the resulting score change bumped Jordan Chiles (USA) from 5th place to 3rd place, narrowly edging out Ana Barbosu (ROM) for the bronze medal.
So how did this score change come about? And are the same regulations in place for the USA Gymnastics Dev Program or Xcel Program? Let’s discuss.
The Floor Final Situation
From what I understand, Jordan Chiles attempted a Gogean (tour jete 1/1), which was not initially given credit. She competed last in the floor final. Immediately after her score came up, her coach submitted an inquiry on the score. The judges reconsidered and decided to award credit to the Gogean leap, which increased Chiles’ Start Value by 0.10. This was enough to move her into the bronze medal position.
There has been controversy over whether Chiles’ Gogean leap should have been credited as a tour jete 1/1 (D) or a tour jete 1/2 (C). The criteria for completion is more strict in FIG than it is in a USAG meet. A leap, hop, or jump is only allowed to be short <30° in a FIG meet, or it will be credited with the lower value. In a USAG meet, a leap that is <90° short can receive credit.
Earlier in the rotation, Sabrina Voinea’s coach submitted an inquiry on her score. A neutral deduction of 0.10 was applied to her routine, which appeared to be an out of bounds deduction. However, Voinea never went out of bounds. This inquiry did not result in a score change.
Let’s look at why one inquiry was able to change a score, and why the other one could not.
FIG Inquiry Regulations
Coaches are allowed to submit an inquiry on the D-score (Difficulty Score) of a routine, immediately following the score posting. (For more details, read the FIG Technical Regulations, Article 8.5: Inquiries of the Score.) The inquiry must be submitted before the posting of the next gymnast’s score, or for the last gymnast in the rotation, within 1 minute after her score is posted. A verbal inquiry is acceptable initially, as long as it is followed by a written or electronic inquiry within 4 minutes of the verbal inquiry.
There are three things that can happen after an inquiry:
- The score could go up
- The score could stay the same
- The score could go down
As you can see, out of the three outcomes, only one is good!
There is a $300 fee for each inquiry. Yikes!
Video review can be used to determine whether the inquiry should result in a score change.
It’s important to note that in FIG gymnastics, inquiries are ONLY allowed to be submitted for D-score questions. No inquiries are allowed for the E-score (Execution Score) or for neutral deductions (such as out of bounds or overtime). This is why Sabrina Voinea’s score did not change after her coach’s inquiry. Looking at the video of her routine, it does not appear that she stepped out of bounds, although a 0.10 neutral deduction was applied. Unfortunately, there is no process in FIG gymnastics through which that deduction could be contested.
USA Gymnastics Inquiry Regulations
For Compulsory gymnastics, coaches are allowed to submit an inquiry regarding incorrect elements, evaluation of major elements, falls, neutral deductions, or unusual occurrences.
For Optional gymnastics, coaches are allowed to submit an inquiry regarding Start Values, flat compositional deductions, falls, neutral deductions, or unusual occurrences.
For Xcel gymnastics, coaches are allowed to submit an inquiry regarding Start Values, falls, neutral deductions, or unusual occurrences.
The inquiry must be written, and it must be submitted within 5 minutes of the end of the rotation.
Just like in FIG, there are three things that can happen after an inquiry:
- The score could go up
- The score could stay the same
- The score could go down
Again, there’s only one potential good outcome!
There is NO fee for an inquiry in any level of division in the USA Gymnastics program.
Written inquiries must be addressed first, before a coach is allowed to request a video review.
Video Review in the USA Gymnastics Program
Video Reviews are allowable if the following criteria are met:
- At ANY sanctioned competition, if the judges may have missed an element that affects the Start Value.
- Video Review may NOT be used to determine split angles, cast angles, degree of turn, or other subjective deductions (EXCEPTION: Xcel State Meet and above)
Video Reviews are also allowable for the following:
- Whether the gymnast landed feet first on vault
- Out of bounds
- Floor exercise overtime deductions
- Spotting deductions
- To determine if the gymnast touched the bar on a release move
The video review is conducted by the Meet Referee and the highest ranking official.
Differences in Inquiry Regulations Between FIG and USAG
Time allowed to submit an inquiry:
- FIG: 1 minute
- USAG: 5 minutes
Can inquiries be submitted to dispute a neutral deduction?
- FIG: No
- USAG: Yes
Can video review be used to determine whether a score should be changed?
- FIG: Yes
- USAG: It depends
Can video review be used to determine completion or non-completion (degree, angle, etc) of a Value Part?
- FIG: Yes
- USAG: Only at Xcel State Meet and above. Never at Dev Program levels.
Takeaways
The judges are human. They make mistakes sometimes.
There are procedures in place to correct judges’ mistakes – but these procedures are also not perfect. I hope the FIG allows for inquiries on neutral deductions in the future.
Video review is a very useful tool to help the judges make the correct decision as often as possible.
Don’t celebrate until you’re certain the results are final! It was horrible to watch Barbosu when she realized she was no longer going to receive the bronze medal.
And I can’t forget to say this – All of the gymnasts in the Olympic floor final did an incredible job. There was some unbelievable tumbling and beautiful artistry. It’s a shame that drama had to mar an otherwise wonderful final. Congratulations to all of these hard working gymnasts on their performance!