Imane Khelif Wins Gold Medal in Paris
Imane Khelif, the most-Googled athlete of the year, found herself at the center of controversy at the Paris Olympics. Khelif, from Algeria, won the gold medal in boxing for her weight class, despite concerns about her gender eligibility.
Khelif had been disqualified from the 2023 International Boxing Association World Championships after IBA president Umar Kremlev claimed that she had “XY chromosomes,” which are typically linked to biological males.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) supported Khelif, as well as Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who also won a gold medal in another women’s weight class despite similar criticism.
The IOC stated, “These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.”
Khelif went on to dominate in Paris, winning every round on her way to gold. In fact, one boxer, Angela Carini, even forfeited her match against Khelif, saying “one punch hurt too much.”
Caitlin Clark Roughs It During Historic Rookie Season
Caitlin Clark made history in her first season with the Indiana Fever, becoming a standout in women’s sports, especially women’s basketball.
However, her remarkable rookie season was not without its own controversy, particularly during a game when she was playing. Clark made national headlines after Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky fouled her hard on the court early in the season, which was called a Flagrant-1 foul.
This foul wasn’t a necessary physical move, so the foul call was made, but it sparked much more discussion in media and talk shows.
There was debate over whether players were being too rough with Clark, who had already experienced some tough fouls earlier in the season. Race also became a part of the conversation.
Clark continued to face physical challenges, including from fellow rookie Angel Reese, who hit her in the head during a layup attempt. However, both Reese and Clark later agreed that it was just an unfortunate moment in the game.
Brooke Fleming and SJSU Women’s Volleyball
Transgender athletes in women’s sports became a big topic of debate this year, and one case made national news when San Jose State’s women’s volleyball team was involved in controversy because of trans athlete Brooke Fleming.
The Spartans had several forfeits from opponents this season, and though it wasn’t directly stated, it seemed clear that many teams refused to play against Fleming.
There was also trouble within her own team. Team captain Brooke Slusser is part of two lawsuits that claim the university and Fleming worked to prevent her and other players from knowing that Fleming is biologically male. Slusser also joined a lawsuit against the NCAA over its policies on gender and allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
Despite this, San Jose State continued to play against opponents until the Mountain West tournament. They received a bye for being the No. 2 seed. Boise State, which had forfeited earlier in the season, won against Utah State in the quarterfinals, setting up a semifinal match with SJSU.
However, Boise State forfeited again, giving SJSU a spot in the championship without ever playing a match. Colorado State, the No. 1 seed, went on to beat SJSU, 3-1, to win the title and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal
This summer was a big one for Team USA’s women’s gymnastics team, especially with Simone Biles becoming the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history. However, her teammate Jordan Chiles was at the center of controversy after being awarded the bronze medal in the individual floor exercise.
American coaches asked for a review of her score, which was changed and put her ahead of Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who ended up in fourth place instead of winning the medal.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Chiles’ appeal had been submitted after the one-minute deadline, so her score was returned to its original number, and Barbosu was given the bronze. Chiles was ordered to give back the medal.
This was an emotional moment for 23-year-old Chiles, who claimed she faced “racially driven attacks” on social media and shared a lengthy statement on X about it. She is still appealing the IOC’s decision, and Simone Biles even said she would support Chiles in her effort to get the bronze back.
Nick Bosa’s MAGA Hat
During the presidential election, sports also became part of the controversy when NFL player Nick Bosa made his political views clear. The San Francisco 49ers star defensive end showed his support for one of the candidates by wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat during his quarterback Brock Purdy’s postgame interview on “Sunday Night Football.”
The NFL rules forbid political messaging, and Bosa was fined $11,255 for wearing the hat. However, Bosa said that despite the backlash and media attention, wearing the hat was “well worth it” after Donald Trump became President-elect.
“I don’t think my position on speaking about it is going to change, so clearly the nation spoke. We got what we got,” Bosa said at the time.
Athletes Do the “Trump Dance”
During the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump’s dance moves became a popular trend, and players in both college and professional football started mimicking them after scoring touchdowns and making key plays.
Although it wasn’t as obvious an endorsement as Nick Bosa’s “MAGA” hat, the dance moves sparked a lot of discussion on social media, with fans having mixed opinions about it.
NFL players like Brock Bowers, Calvin Ridley, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Za’Darius Smith, and Malcolm Rodriguez were all seen doing the dance. Bowers explained that he got the idea from UFC star Jon “Bones” Jones, who performed the dance after his victory at Madison Square Garden in November, with Trump sitting in the front row.
Bowers said, “I like watching UFC, so I saw it and thought it was cool.” The NFL didn’t have any issues with the players’ dance moves, despite the attention it caused.
Falcons Draft Michael Penix Jr.
The NFL Draft always brings surprises, and one big shock came when the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. from Washington with the eighth overall pick in April. The Falcons had just signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, so most people didn’t expect them to pick a quarterback, especially with such a high draft pick.
The Falcons had to explain their decision, and Cousins faced questions about the situation, even though he hadn’t played a single game for Atlanta yet.
Now, Penix is finishing the season as the Falcons’ starting quarterback, and Cousins’ future with the team is uncertain after a not-so-great first season in Atlanta.
Bill Belichick Doesn’t Land Next NFL Gig
It was hard to believe when Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots ended their 24-year relationship, during which they won six Super Bowls. Everyone thought Belichick would quickly find a new head coaching job with many openings, but that didn’t happen.
The Falcons came closest to hiring Belichick but eventually chose Raheem Morris instead. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Las Vegas Raiders all hired other coaches. Belichick ended up entering the sports media world.
In a surprising move, Belichick became the new head football coach for North Carolina, starting a whole new career in college football.
“Raygun” Makes Olympic Headlines for All the Wrong Reasons
One of the new sports added to the Paris Olympics this year was Breaking, and Australian competitor Rachel Gunn, known by her stage name “Raygun,” made headlines—not for her performance, but for failing to score any points.
Some people thought Gunn was mocking the competition with her dancing, though she explained that she was trying to be as creative as possible. Gunn had qualified for the Paris Olympics by winning the QMS Oceania Championships in Sydney and was named the top-ranked b-girl by the Australian Breaking Association in 2020 and 2021.
However, when she got to the Olympics, Gunn admitted she felt overmatched. “As soon as I qualified, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what have I done?’ because I knew I was going to get beaten, and I knew people weren’t going to understand my style and what I was going to do,” she said.
