Former Team USA gymnast MyKayla Skinner is awfully pleased with the International Olympic Committee this week.
On Thursday, the IOC announced a new policy that's designed to protect “fairness, safety and integrity” in women’s sports. Female athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene will be allowed to compete at the Olympics. Those who screen positive, however, will not be eligible to participate in the female category at an IOC event.
“Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females,” the IOC said. “It is not retroactive and does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programs.”
This decision by the IOC comes after Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It's worth noting that Khelif said she has the SRY gene in an interview with French sports publication L’Equipe.
© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
After the IOC announced this new policy, Skinner offered her brief thoughts on the future of women's sports.
"The best news," Skinner said. "About time!"
Back in June 2025, Skinner voiced her support for Riley Gaines and others who were calling for "fairness" in women's sports.
"Women like her are not only standing for fairness, but for the future of female athletics itself," Skinner said. "She deserves support—not ridicule."
Why do Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner have beef?
During the 2024 Olympics, Skinner questioned the U.S. gymnastics team's work ethic. That led to Biles posting a photo from the team's gold medal win along with the caption: "lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions."
Skinner later said she has been belittled by Biles throughout her career.
“Throughout my own career, I endured being belittled, dismissed, and ostracized behind the scenes by Simone. The pressure to stay silent was immense. I kept quiet out of respect—for the sport, for my teammates, and for the ideal of unity among athletes. But witnessing this kind of public shaming, especially from someone in a position of influence, makes that silence no longer acceptable,” Skinner said. “It’s one thing to disagree. It’s another to use your platform to bully and demean. No one should be punished for standing up for fairness and biological reality. We should be lifting each other up—not tearing one another down for speaking hard truths.”
Suffice to say, Biles and Skinner don't see eye-to-eye.
