The Jordan Chiles bronze medal controversy casts a shadow on a historic Olympics for female athletes

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- Battle for bronze. The Paris Olympics ended on a record-breaking high note for female athletes. Team USA's women took home 26 out of 40 gold medals and 67 out of its total 126 medals—more than half. If the American women were their own country, they would have placed third worldwide by medal count.

And yet the slow trickle of Olympics news is finishing on a low note, with a controversy over a bronze medal won by U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles on Aug. 5. Last week, Romania's gymnastics federation challenged Chiles's score in the floor exercise final, which had been increased after a reevaluation during the event, knocking two Romanian gymnasts out of contention for the bronze. The inquiry led to a heartbreaking result for Chiles: on Sunday, the International Olympic Committee asked Chiles to return her medal .

Chiles spoke out for the first time yesterday afternoon about the episode. "I have no words," the 23-year-old wrote on Instagram. "This decision feels unjust."

USA Gymnastics has taken issue with several aspects of the inquiry, saying the wrong American officials were notified so it did not have proper time to respond. It raised new evidence that shows that the on-the-floor inquiry into Chiles's score was in fact submitted within a one-minute deadline (the issue at hand in Romania's objection).

Even the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which first found that Chiles's score revision was outside an allotted window, has objected to the way the International Gymnastics Federation (known as FIG) has handled the original re-scoring and resulting change to the bronze winner. The arbitration body suggested all three gymnasts in contention for third place receive a medal, but the international gymnastics organization was unwilling to do so. While Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu is set to receive her bronze medal today, Chiles has not returned hers. The U.S. has another appeal planned.

"I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career. Believe me when I say I have had many," Chiles wrote in her statement. "[I] will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing."

It's a distressing end to what had been a marquee summer for women's sports. From basketball to gymnastics, women athletes took the spotlight at what was dubbed the first "gender-equal" Olympics . This particular gymnastics podium, too, was a history-making moment for female athletes. With Chiles winning the bronze, Simone Biles the silver, and Brazil's Rebecca Andrade the gold, it was the first gymnastics podium composed of three Black women . The image of Chiles and Biles bowing down to Andrade was etched into gymnastics history.

Now, the controversy over Chiles's medal is what will be remembered by many. Lapses by the rule-makers in charge of the sport prevented a history-making achievement from receiving its due celebration. At a pivotal moment for women's sports, it's a missed opportunity. We should be talking about the achievements of these athletes—not about institutions that have failed them.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

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