2024-07-27 11:05:03
Simone Biles and other members of the U.S. gymnasts team skipped the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics to save energy for their upcoming competitions.
On July 26, as athletes rode boats along the River Seine, Simone Biles’ mother, Nellie Biles, spoke to TODAY’s Hoda Kotb and confirmed that her daughter would not appear for the opening ceremony.
“The first competition is Sunday, which is women’s qualifier, and, of course, she needs to rest up before that competition,” Nellie Biles explained.
Simone Biles did have the chance to FaceTime with Hoda and Snoop Dogg during the ceremony.
“Oh, we got her!” Hoda exclaimed once the FaceTime call with the athlete went through. “Girl! Your family is slaying it in the rain!”
“What up, girl!” Snoop Dogg greeted.
The U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team star is back for her third Olympic Games. Read more about the team and why they opted out of the flips and flourishes opening ceremony.
Will the US women’s gymnastics team attend the opening ceremony?
According to NBC News, the U.S. gymnastics team has traditionally skipped the opening ceremony. In May, USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung explained during a news conference that team members are “discouraged” from attending due to the ceremony’s length, which can be physically demanding. Leung noted that athletes can expect to “be on their feet for nine hours.” Athletes, she added, are ultimately able to decide for themselves if they will be part of the ceremony.
What Simone Biles has said about the 2024 Paris Olympics
On July 17, Simone Biles spoke to Hoda in a TODAY interview about her return to the Olympics after her experience with the twisties at the Tokyo Games a few years ago.
“I would say the only thing I have to prove is to myself that I can get out there and do it again,” she told Hoda.
“I think we’re going to get the job done,” she said. “I feel really confident.”
Tune in to the Paris Olympics on NBC and Peacock.
