Simone Biles apologises to Riley Gaines, argues for “competitive equity and inclusivity” in women’s sports

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles expressed regret to former college swimmer Riley Gaines following their verbal exchange on X last Friday.

On Tuesday, Biles issued an apology for lacking “empathy and respect” in a tweet where she criticised Gaines over her views on trans athletes. According to ‘Yahoo! Sports’, Biles explained in her post that she believes “competitive equity and inclusivity” are crucial in sports and emphasised not supporting policies that “compromise fairness in women’s sports.” She also objected to Gaines targeting a child in her post.

Biles ended her post by saying: “Individual athletes — especially kids — should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. 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.”

The exchange began after Gaines criticised Minnesota’s high school interscholastic governing body for allowing a trans girl to compete in the state softball tournament, where Champlin Park, with the transgender girl pitching, won the state 4A championship 6-0. Biles replied to this by labelling Gaines a “sore loser” and a “bully.”

Gaines, who swam at the University of Kentucky, gained attention in 2022 for opposing the inclusion of trans women in women’s sports after tying for fifth with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at a competition.

She has continued to advocate for this cause and appeared in a video for the United States Department of Health and Human Services in February, arguing against allowing transgender women to participate in women’s sports.

Gaines described Biles’ post as “disappointing” in her response on Friday, went on to tweet or retweet about Biles at least 15 times over the weekend, and quickly replied to Biles’ initial post.