Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles apologized to former college swimmer Riley Gaines after the two engaged in a verbal back-and-forth on X on Friday.
In a post Tuesday, Biles apologized for not showing “empathy and respect” in a tweet where she ripped Gaines for the former swimmer’s stance on transgender athletes.
In her post, Biles said she believed “competitive equity and inclusivity” are essential in sport. She said she did not want to advocate for policies that “compromise fairness in women’s sports.” Biles added that she took issue with Gaines singling out a child in her post.
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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.”
Biles and Gaines engaged in a verbal back-and-forth on X on Friday after Gaines attacked a high school girls softball team, claiming one player on the team was transgender. Biles responded to that tweet, calling Gaines a “sore loser” and a “bully.”
Gaines — a former swimmer at the University of Kentucky — became a public figure in 2022, when she argued against the inclusion of transgender women participating in women’s sports after she tied for fifth with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at a meet.
Gaines has continued to lobby for that cause, and appeared in a video on the United States Department of Health and Human Services website in February which argued against allowing transgender women to participate in women’s sports.
Gaines responded to Biles’ post Friday, calling it “disappointing.” Over the weekend, Gaines tweeted or shared at least 15 tweets mentioning Biles. Gaines has not addressed Biles’ apology post at this time.
