• Simone Biles apologizes for making personal remarks during a debate over transgender athletes.
• Riley Gaines criticized Biles' defense of a transgender softball player, claiming it undermines women's sports.
• Biles emphasizes the need for empathy and respect in conversations surrounding competitive equity.

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has issued an apology to conservative activist Riley Gaines after a personal clash over the participation of transgender athletes in sports. Biles defended a transgender high school softball player targeted by Gaines, stating, "I wanted to follow up from my last tweets... it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for," underscoring her commitment to "competitive equity & inclusivity" within sports, according to Newsweek, The Hill, and HuffPost.

The controversy erupted after Gaines, previously a collegiate swimmer, criticized a transgender athlete's inclusion on a Minnesota high school softball team. Biles responded to Gaines' comments, labeling them as "bullying" and called for a more inclusive dialogue about sports. Biles stated, "Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over," according to Newsweek and The Hill.

Gaines had previously accused Biles of disregarding the rights of women in sports by advocating for inclusivity. She asserted that Biles' defense of the athlete was an "attempt to be inclusive and virtuous," which Gaines felt undermined the achievements of female athletes. Biles clarified her position, stating, "I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports," and emphasized the need for sports organizations to create rules that support inclusion while ensuring fair competition, according to The Hill and HuffPost.

After Biles' apology, Gaines expressed her acceptance of it but maintained her viewpoint that "sports ARE inclusive by nature" stating that the core of competition contradicts the pursuit of such inclusiveness. She reiterated her stance against the presence of transgender women in women's sports, reflecting the ongoing polarization surrounding this issue, according to The Hill and HuffPost.