The International Olympic Committee is finally moving toward protecting the women’s category, and that shift matters for fairness and safety in sport. This article traces a personal journey from elite gymnastics to motherhood, explains why clear rules are needed, and urges athletes and governing bodies to enforce standards that defend women’s competition.
I spent two decades in gymnastics and I know what the sport asks of a woman who wants to compete at the top. That background shapes why I care so much about the integrity of women’s events. The IOC’s move is a step forward and it should push other organizations to act.
I made the 2016 Olympic team as an alternate and watched my teammates win gold while I sat on the bench. That kind of disappointment sticks with you, but it also fuels a desire to keep fighting. Later, at the University of Utah, I doubled down and became a two-time national champion and a 26-time All-American.
I returned to elite gymnastics at 22 with my sights locked on the Games and made the national team again in months. Then the world shut down and Tokyo was delayed, which in gymnastics can equal another career’s worth of wear and tear. Training through illness and injury became the new normal.
CAITLYN JENNER BACKS IOC MOVE TO BAN TRANSGENDER WOMEN FROM OLYMPICS AFTER REVIEW FINDS UNFAIR ADVANTAGE I carried a lot into that Olympic cycle: COVID-19, hospitalization with pneumonia, and a painful bone spur that never left me alone. My motto turned into a lifeline: never give up. That grit led from retirement chatter to being called back as a replacement on vault and walking away with a silver medal.
Life after elite sport reshaped me in unexpected ways, and becoming a mom brought a new kind of joy and perspective. I also found a new sense of purpose: using whatever platform I have to speak up for the next generation of girls. Speaking out isn’t easy, especially when the crowd turns cruel, but silence does nothing for fairness.
IOC SET TO BAN TRANSGENDER ATHLETES FROM OLYMPIC WOMEN’S EVENTS: REPORTS The debate isn’t academic; it’s about the safety and competitive equity of women in sport. We don’t redesign events like rings or weight categories because we like rules—we do it because biology creates different physical realities. Sports institutions need to face that head on and apply consistent standards.
SEX TESTS EXPOSE DOZENS OF ATHLETES WITH MALE ADVANTAGES COMPETED IN WOMEN’S WORLD ATHLETICS FINALS SINCE 2000 World Athletics data shows that over time more than 50 males have beaten women in top-level finals, and that should sharpen the focus on fair measures. When governing bodies ignore systemic unfairness, athletes are left without recourse. The USOPC and other national committees must enforce rules that protect women’s competitive space.
Some controversies have been painfully public, like when two boxers who tested as male — Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting — competed in and won gold medals in the women’s category. When athletes protest, they can be bullied by networks and platforms instead of heard. That kind of public shaming doesn’t solve the underlying issue; it silences the people the rules are supposed to protect.
USOPC LEADERS ADDRESS PROTECTION OF WOMEN’S SPORTS, USE OF SEX TESTS AMID GLOBAL RESISTANCE TO TRANS ATHLETES There is only so much individual sports can fix on their own; the problem cuts across disciplines and needs consistent policy. We should treat threats to fairness like we do doping or match-fixing — with swift rules and enforcement, because the principle is the same. If the USOPC won’t act, athletes will be left to carry the burden alone.
Athletes like Elizabeth Eddy who speak up deserve support, not scorn. There is only one currently competing woman who has stepped out to open the debate about clear and fair standards at the professional league level. That is Elizabeth Eddy, the Angel City FC soccer player. When she did, she was publicly shamed by her teammates, and that kind of isolation is unacceptable.
We can’t let brave competitors be abandoned or silenced when they point out obvious safety and fairness problems. Olympic athletes know that if a sport allowed match-fixing or doping, the USOPC would never just stand by. The same expectation should apply now: protect women’s sports, enforce standards, and back the athletes who risk everything to speak the truth.
