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Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines continued her scathing remarks against US President Joe Biden following his recent social media post appreciating women's basketball in the country.
On Thursday, May 9, the US president invited Las Vegas Aces team, the defending champions of WNBA, to the White House to celebrate a successful year. He termed it as a 'banner year' for women's basketball in his social media post, which was posted a day later.
"It’s been a banner year for women’s basketball, including the most-watched WNBA season and the most-watched women’s college game ever. It matters to girls and women seeing themselves represented. It matters to all of America," Biden wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
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The US President drew flak for his encouraging post for women's sports, with many critics pointing out that his administation supports male athletes' participation in women's sports, stressing on the opposition towards transgender athletes.
Riley Gaines, who has been an advocate for women's sports, was the latest to call out Biden's support for women's sports. In an interview with Human Events Daily, the 24-year-old said that Biden's statement was a way to pander, stating:
"It's sad that it has to come at the expense of women's opportunities, women feeling safe in private spaces such as locker rooms. Many women who have now even been injured in their sport, it's sad that they have to be President Biden's sacrifice as a way to pander."
She added:
"If I was his advisor, I would tell him that the easiest way to support women's sports is by keeping men out of them. I mean, this is just insane."
Why Riley Gaines is vocal against transgender athletes in women's sports?
Riley Gaines has been at loggerheads with the NCAA and the Biden administration ever since she was stripped off a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Women's Championships.
Gaines tied with Lia Thomas at the fifth place, but the latter's participation turned out as contentious. Thomas was allowed to compete against cis gender females as per the organizer's rules.
In an interview with The Daily Wire at the time, the Kentucky senior said that she wasn't awarded because the organisers had just one fifth-place trophy, which was given to Lia Thomas.
Lia Thomas, who became the first transgender swimmer to win an NCAA championship, initially competed as Will Thomas in men's swimming events for the University of Pennsylvania (first three years).
Many eyebrows were raised after Thomas made giant strides - from being ranked 65th on male swimmer's list to clinching the No.1 spot in women's competitions. Riley Gaines called Thomas an ordinary male swimmer.
In March this year, Gaines was among the college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA. The main accusation was that the NCAA violated Title IX laws and permitted Lia Thomas to participate in the 2022 NCAA Women's Championships.
