Did Simone Biles lose endorsements after rift with Riley Gaines amid transgender athletes row? All about the boycott campaign against the gymnast

Simone Biles seems to be in trouble after her rift with swimmer turned social activist Riley Gaines. There have been claims that the Olympic champion gymnast has lost a couple of multi-million-dollar endorsements due to her statements against the former NCAA swimmer.

However, these claims turned out to be false. Meanwhile, a boycott campaign has emerged against the Olympic champion. Some fans want brands like Athleta, which has been sponsoring Biles since 2021, to stop sponsoring Simone Biles.

Several fans posted their reactions after Biles made a statement against Riley Gaines on the issue of excluding transgender athletes from women's sports.

One fan simply called out Athleta for allowing Biles to represent them, as he wrote:

"Your brand ambassador @Simone_Biles is not standing up for and in fact bullying women in sports. Nice"

Another fan commented:

"Stop supporting @Simone_Biles !!! Biles attacks women athletes who are standing up 4 girls’ rights to dignity, privacy & fair competition!!!"

One user posted the question:

"Why do you have a brand ambassador who doesn’t support women in sports?"

Following severe backlash for her statements, Simone Biles issued an apology to Riley Gaines. Gaines accepted the same, saying that maybe one day, Biles would understand her views and stand beside her.

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When Simone Biles issued an apology to Riley Gaines for her statements

Simone Biles issues an apology to Riley Gaines for her statements [Image Source : Getty Images]

Simone Biles had issued an apology to Riley Gaines for her statements on June 10. The Olympic champion gymnast admitted that she shouldn't have been so personal in her criticism against the swimmer turned social activist, as she posted on her X account:

"I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. 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. These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect."

For the unversed, Biles had criticized Gaines for her stance against Minnesota State High School over including a transgender player in the girls' softball team. She wrote on her X account:

"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 people feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!"

However, the gymnast received backlash for her comments, including Piers Morgan and Martina Navratilova, who called out Biles for speaking against Gaines.