Simone Biles in transgender war of words with ‘sick' swimmer

Yahoo

11 hours ago

A war of words has broken out between Simone Biles and Riley Gaines, the swimmer who has been an outspoken campaigner against allowing transgender athletes in women's sport.
Biles, the seven-time Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast, called Gaines 'sick' and, as they then exchanged views on X, said: 'Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male'.
That prompted condemnation of Biles from the British Olympic swimming medallist Sharron Davies. 'Not defending women's sport after you've had your career, thank you very much, pulling the drawbridge up after you, then comparing a woman to a man as an insult … I thought better of you,' she wrote.
The row began after Gaines responded to a photograph of a post by the Minnesota State High School League which showed the Chaplin Park girls' team celebrating the State Championship. Gaines, who competed as a college athlete against the transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, then responded to the picture with the message: 'To be expected when your star player is a boy.'
This prompted speculation beneath her post about which of the children was transgender.
Biles wrote: '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. 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.'
In a series of posts, Gaines replied: 'Simone Biles being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls' dreams? Didn't have that on my bingo card. So disappointing. My take is the least controversial take on the planet.
'It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest.'
Of the remark about her size: Gaines added: 'And the subtle hint at 'body-shaming' ???? Plzzzz I'm 5'5'.'
Gaines had tied for fifth place with Thomas in the 200m freestyle swimming at the 2022 NCAA Championships before World Aquatics voted to change the rules and stop transgender athletes who had gone through male puberty from competing in women's races. Thomas has since failed with a legal challenge to change the rules.
Gaines said she felt 'cheated, betrayed and violated' by competing against Thomas and was present at the White House in February when Donald Trump, the US president, signed an executive order excluding transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.
In April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law. Since that ruling, a number of UK sporting bodies, including the Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board, have followed governing bodies such as World Aquatics, World Athletics and British Cycling in changing their rules to base the female category according to biological sex.
Following the very public row between Biles and Gaines, tennis legend Martina Navratilova asked to speak personally with Biles. 'I would love to talk to you about this… pretty sure there is more to it than you know at this time…Respectfully, Martina,' she wrote.
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