Simone Biles appears to respond to the MyKayla Skinner scandal.
Following the criticism of the 2024 Olympic team by retired gymnast MyKayla Skinner, Simone Biles shared a statement saying, “Not everyone needs a mic.”
Simone Biles is defending her team.
The renowned gymnast appeared to weigh in when MyKayla Skinner, a former teammate, seemed to disparage the group’s work ethic. The gymnast will soon represent Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Although MyKayla was not specifically mentioned by Simone, she stated on Threads on July 3 that “not everyone needs a mic and a platform.”
In a since-deleted YouTube video, Skinner caused controversy by remarking, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be.” This prompted the post.
Team USA will be represented in Paris by gymnasts Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, and Hezly Rivera in addition to Biles.
After saying, “The girls just don’t have the work ethic,” Skinner mentioned the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a nonprofit that works to prevent abuse in sports. In addition, SafeSport makes it difficult. Like, coaches have to be extremely careful about what they say and they can’t criticize athletes.”
“Which, in some ways, is really good,” she stated, “but at the same time, to get to where you need to be in gymnastics you do have to be, I feel like, a little aggressive and a little intense.”
Additionally, despite Skinner’s subsequent apology—which she posted on her Instagram Story on July 3 and said she was “sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful”—her remarks have gone viral on the internet.
Vanessa Atler, a former gymnast, actually supported the team, saying on July 4 on Instagram that she has “never seen so much depth” in the group.
“It is impossible to misunderstand what you said,” wrote Vanessa, the 1997 U.S. national all-around champion. “They are only cruel and petty. That’s the only thing about it. Perhaps you could learn from these Olympic competitors how to encourage and support other women.
