Simone Biles is once again speaking about her tense exchange with Riley Gaines about transgender athletes in sports.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday (June 10), the Olympic gold medalist shared her thoughts after calling Gaines “a sore loser” and “truly sick.”
“I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport,” Biles explained. “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.”
“I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports. 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 continued.
Biles said she hopes to make competitive sports more inclusive for marginalized athletes.
“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 concluded.
Last week, Biles called out Gaines for commenting on a post from the Minnesota State High School League of players posing with their first softball state championship plaque.
“Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy,” referring to Marissa Rothenberger, a transgender athlete who is the star pitcher for the team.
Biles was quick to call out Gaines for her remarks.
“You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive, OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports,” Biles wrote. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One thing’s for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”