Simone Biles sent shock waves throughout the world with her shocking withdrawal from the Olympics. The gymnast suffered from mental health issues and she cited them as the reason for her withdrawal. As everyone came to grips with reality, people from all backgrounds came forth to show support for Biles.

In one of his podcast episodes, Joe Rogan talked about the circumstances around Simone’s withdrawal. He also put forth a curious argument against the officials of the sport.

Joe backs Simone Biles

In an episode featuring comedian Yannis Pappas, the two engaged in a conversation regarding Simone Biles. The athlete was banned from taking her medicines in Japan as they were illegal in the country. The two discussed Biles further as Joe said, “aren’t they changing rules because she can do s**t that other people can’t do?”

The controversy here suggests that Biles gets penalized for doing moves that no other gymnast ever has (in competition). Simone, the five-time Olympic medalist, is so dominant that the rules of gymnastics intentionally keep her at a disadvantage. The International Gymnastics Foundation has lowered the value of certain moves to deter other gymnasts from trying to do what Simone does.

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Even though she knows this, Biles continues to perform moves no other woman has done before. Even being underscored, Biles was way ahead of her competition. Before the Olympics and straight out of quarantine, Biles posted a video of herself debuting a new move- a triple-double dismount off a beam balance.

The controversy around Biles’ meds

Simone famously withdrew from four out of five events in the Tokyo Olympics. The champion gymnast said she experienced the ‘twisties’ and other mental health issues. But there was another controversy that eventually led to this one.

A hack of the World Anti-Doping Agency drew attention to the prohibition of common medicines in the Olympics without a medical waiver. Among the ones targeted was Simone. While Simone had a medical waiver in 2016 for therapeutic use, all substances are illegal in Japan, even for therapeutic use. Hence, the gymnast did not get a medical waiver and had to give up her meds. Notably, Simone won four gold medals at the Rio Olympics.

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Do you think it is fair for Simone to be graded less because of her courage and skills?