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Olympic gymnast Simone Biles issued an apology on X June 10 in the wake of her heated exchange with conservative activist and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines.
CatholicVote previously reported that a June 6 social media photo celebrating a Minnesota girls’ high school softball team sparked a viral debate after it showed a male athlete among the players.
When the Minnesota State High School League disabled comments on the post, Gaines responded on X: “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Biles then entered the conversation in a June 6 X post, calling Gaines “truly sick” and a “sore loser,” accusing her of bullying “transgender” athletes. Biles’ comments quickly went viral — and drew considerable backlash. Now, after days of public criticism, Biles has issued an apology.
Biles acknowledged that she crossed a line in her response to Gaines’ criticism.
“I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport,” Biles wrote in a June 10 X post. “The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.”
“These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports,” Biles continued. “My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful.”
“Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over,” she concluded. “I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.”
Gaines responded the same day, accepting the apology but standing by her broader concerns.
“I accept Simone’s apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like,” she wrote June 10. “She’s still the greatest female gymnast of all time.”
Biles, in a separate June 6 X post, had told Gaines to “bully someone [her] own size, which would ironically be a male.”
In the June 10 statement, Gaines added, “Sports ARE inclusive by nature. Anyone can and everyone SHOULD play sports. Competition, on the other hand and by definition, is exclusive. So the idea of ‘competitive equity’ is nonsensical.”
Gaines continued, “The boys are publicly humiliating the girls… You can’t have any empathy and compassion for the girls if you’re ignoring when young men are harming or abusing them.”
Gaines also criticized what she sees as a lack of female leadership on the issue.
“That’s why I joined [Donald Trump] at the signing of his Executive Order. I didn’t see you there or championing this effort with your platform,” she wrote to Biles. “Women’s sports can’t be used as an excuse for girl’s to center the feelings and validation of men and boys. I welcome you to the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes. Little girls deserve the same shot to achieve that you had.”
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