Simone Biles makes a major appeal for women's sports as she celebrates success during the Olympic year

Simone Biles made a major appeal for women's sports as she received Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year award. The American gymnast acknowledged the massive progress that women's sports have made in the previous year and urged people to continue to invest as well as support women's sports in the upcoming year.

2024 witnessed great performances by female athletes across various sports. Simone Biles made her third consecutive Olympic appearance in 2024 in Paris and emerged victorious, taking home three gold medals and one silver medal.

On the other hand, Gabby Thomas took home three gold medals, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone successfully defended her Olympic title while breaking the world record in the 400m hurdles for the sixth time.

Moreover, there was a massive spike in the WNBA viewership due to the incredible performances as well as the prominence of players like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, among others. Simone Biles was named the Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated, and she shed light on the rise of women's sports in her acceptance speech.

The most decorated Olympian highlighted how to witness further advancement in women's sports: people should extend their support to the sport perennially and not just during the Olympics.

"I'd also like to recognize that 2024 was a big year for women's sports and I'd also like to remind everyone that it is not limited to once every four years. So, please continue to invest and support all women's sports at all levels," she said.

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Simone Biles on the rise of women's sports

Simone Biles competes at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 10 - Source: Getty

Simone Biles weighed in on the recent rise in the popularity of women's sports after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics. The Olympic gold medalist shed light on how the year has been instrumental in the growth of women's sports as well as inspired a lot of fans around the globe to strive for their goals.

“I think it’s been an amazing year for women’s sports because we’ve been using our platforms to grow the conversation and inspire our fans around the world to build confidence through movement, just like we do. So I think right now it’s a time for women to be proud, stand in our power, and share our success and our journey and our stories.”

Furthermore, she revealed that it has sparked an interest in youngsters to take up different sports and aim to compete at the professional level. Along with that, the increased viewership stands as a testament to the fact that people are interested in watching these events and hope that the viewership consistently increases over time.