Blanket Ban On Transgender Athlete Might Be Adopted In The Next Olympics

In the next Olympics, transgender women will likely be banned from the female category across all sport after another leading candidate to become International Olympic Committee president backed a new blanket policy.

Individual sports were able to set their own rules at last year’s Paris Games, prompting a patchwork of policies that prevented anyone who had gone through male puberty competing in sports such as athletics and swimming, but potentially eligible in women’s football.

There are also sport-by-sport Olympic rules regarding athletes with differences in sexual development, with athletics, led by Lord Coe, ruling that athletes must reduce their testosterone level to below 2.5 nanomoles per litre. That has meant that Caster Semenya, who won the 800 metres Olympic title in 2012 and 2016, is ineligible.

Coe, who is the president of World Athletics and a leading candidate to succeed Thomas Bach as president of the IOC, has long made it clear that he would bring similar clarity to gender policy across all Olympic sports.

Among the other leading candidates is Kirsty Coventry, a member of the IOC executive board since 2018, who now also supports an Olympic-wide policy similar to athletics or swimming.

"Protecting the female category and female sports is paramount – it’s a priority that we collectively come together," said Coventry, who won seven Olympic medals, including two gold, in swimming.

"There is more and more scientific research. We are not having a conversation about how it is detrimental to men’s sport. That, in itself, says we need to protect women’s sport. It is very clear that transgender women are more able in the female category, and can take away opportunities that should be equal for women."

Coventry was also part of the executive board that handled the huge Olympic controversy in Paris when Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif won gold after they were previously deemed ineligible for the female category by the International Boxing Association; a body that was subsequently stripped of the right to run the sport because of governance and ethical issues.

Coventry said that "lessons are always going to be learnt – Paris is definitely one of those times", but claimed that they could not have foreseen the specific controversy.

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The WNBA "Phenom" Is Back!

Last 14 June , WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark made her return to the Indiana Fever after suffering a quad injury that kept her out of the lineup for five games.

She nearly pulled off a 30-point triple-double by dropping 32 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in a 102-88 victory over the New York Liberty, handing the reigning WNBA champions their first loss of the season.

"Don't we always expect that kind of game from Caitlin?" Indiana coach Stephanie White said after the game. "I knew her adrenaline was going to be high to start. She's been itching to get back out there. [Her scoring] carried us in the first half, and then everybody else carried us in the second half. Her decision-making was outstanding. She did a really good job of getting everybody involved, and that's what she does."

Despite missing the previous five games, Clark didn't suffer an off shooting night and didn't feel fatigued.

"I saw three in a row go in, so that gives you a lot of confidence," Clark said. "Even in the second half, they all came off my hand feeling really good...My legs felt really strong. I felt in good shape," she said. "A lot of that is credit to our medical team. They have kept me in shape. Now for me, it's just how I recover, especially with the schedule that we have coming up."

The Fever went 2-3 without Clark on the court, but got back to .500 on the season with the big win on Saturday afternoon.

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Ohio State University Encourages Students To Use AI

The conversation around artificial intelligence continues to impact several industries and businesses everywhere, and it's also had a tangible effect on academics.

Teachers and professors around the country have said that an increasing number of students rely on AI to write papers or help them complete homework assignments.

The Pew Research Group says 26 percent of teenagers used ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024, twice as many as in the previous year.

Proponents of AI in the classroom have cited the ability to help students who may not be able to learn traditionally, while critics have said that the reliance on tools like ChatGPT could lead to students having difficulty retaining and comprehending information.

Ahead of a new school year later in 2025, one of the most prominent state universities in America has revealed its stance on students using artificial intelligence.

Ohio State University says that it will not only encourage the use of artificial intelligence, but it will require each student at the school to take a class on AI literacy.

"Through AI Fluency, Ohio State students will be 'bilingual' — fluent in both their major field of study and the application of AI in that area," said OSU provost and executive vice president Ravi V. Bellamkonda.

The school plans to integrate AI education throughout the curriculum for undergraduate students, with a special emphasis on the incoming class. Bellamkonda says that by 2029, the aim is for every Ohio State student to be fluent in how AI is applied to their chosen field of study.

Some professors at the university have incorporated AI into their lessons, and one says he's embraced students turning in AI-assisted work.

"A student walked up to me after turning in the first batch of AI-assisted papers and thanked me for such a fun assignment. And then when I graded them and found a lot of really creative ideas," said associate professor of philosophy Steven Brown.

"My favorite one is still a paper on karma and the practice of returning shopping carts."

All of Ohio's public universities have incorporated artificial intelligence in some capacity, but Ohio State is the first of those 14 institutions to declare that it will officially incorporate AI into the curriculum of every student.

Starting this fall, every Ohio State student will be asked to use artificial intelligence. https://t.co/CrJ8pBfbW8 pic.twitter.com/jDXAHL7hhk

— NBC4 Columbus (@nbc4i) June 8, 2025

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Paraguayan Olympic Swimmer Out To Correct Misconceptions

Months after she was accused of creating an "inappropriate" atmosphere at the Olympic Village, Paraguayan Olympic swimmer Luana Alonso has come out to air her side of the story and to refute several claims.

The 21-year-old called the allegations "false rumors" while explaining in detail what actually happened at the time.

She also claimed that after leaving of her own volition, Paraguayan swimming officials begged her to return for an upcoming competition in August. However, Luana Alonso previously shared that she remains unsure if she will return to competitive swimming in the near future.

Taking to her Instagram Stories last 3 June, Luana Alonso launched into an intense rant, addressing the misconduct allegations made against her by Paraguayan swimming officials during her participation in the Olympics last year.

At the time, the head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, Larissa Schaerer, claimed that the 21-year-old's presence was "creating an inappropriate atmosphere" within the team, which led to her alleged removal.

Now, Alonso has countered those claims, stating that she "left" on her own and calling the accusations "false rumors."

"The Paraguayan Olympic team claimed I created an 'inappropriate environment simply because I decided I didn't want to swim anymore," Alonso further explained to her fans on her page, per The New York Post.

"They tried to take my accreditation away, but that's not something they had the right to do. I chose not to hand it over, and apparently that was 'inappropriate' to them," Alonso added in her post.

Alonso's remarks come 11 months after the incident, seemingly a long time for the drama to have died down.

However, according to the swimmer, she is breaking her silence now because the claims are still affecting her to this day.

"Seriously, this (sic) lies are wild and affecting my life, and that's why I decided I'm keeping my life lowkey," she stated.

Further in her rant, Alonso also revealed that she could bring lawsuits against the outlets that published the claims about her being allegedly booted out of the Olympic Village last year.

"I'm seriously considering legal action against the magazines and media outlets spreading false rumors like that I was expelled from the Olympic Village. Really? Who came up with that nonsense? Well that it's not true," she said.

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Simone Biles Apologizes To Riley Gaines

In a post last 10 June and reported by Chris Cwlk, Simone Biles apologized for not showing "empathy and respect" in a tweet where she ripped Riley Gaines for the former swimmer's stance on transgender athletes.

"I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me ..." — Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 10, 2025.

In her post, Biles said she believed "competitive equity and inclusivity" are essential in sport. She said she did not want to advocate for policies that "compromise fairness in women’s sports." Biles added that she took issue with Gaines singling out a child in her post.

Biles ended her post by saying:

"Individual athletes — especially kids — should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful."

Biles and Gaines engaged in a verbal back-and-forth on X on after Gaines attacked Minnesota's high school interscholastic governing body for allowing a transgender girl to compete in the girl's state softball tournament. Champlin Park, with the transgender girl on the mound, won the state 4A championship 6-0. Biles responded to that tweet, calling Gaines a "sore loser" and a "bully."

Shortly after Biles' post, Gaines responded to Biles' post.

"I accept Simone's apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like. She's still the greatest female gymnast of all time.

"A couple of things. Sports ARE inclusive by nature. Anyone can and everyone SHOULD play sports. Competition, on the other hand and by definition, is exclusive. So the idea of "competitive equity" is nonsensical.

"Secondly, the boys are publicly humiliating the girls. To suggest that women and girls must be silent or ignore a boy who is PUBLICLY hurting or humiliating them is wrong. You can't have any empathy and compassion for the girls if you're ignoring when young men are harming or abusing them. I am not ashamed to be a voice for the voiceless.

"Lastly, I agree with you that the blame is on the lawmakers and leaders at the top. Precisely why I'm suing the NCAA and support candidates who vow to stand with women. That's why I joined @realDonaldTrump at the signing of his Executive Order. I didn't see you there or championing this effort with your platform.

"Women's sports can't be used as an excuse for girl's to center the feelings and validation of men and boys.

"I welcome you to the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes. Little girls deserve the same shot to achieve that you had."

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Riley Gailes Is Pulling No Punches Against Simone Biles

This is getting testy and Riley Gaines is pulling no punches this time.

The conservative anti-trans activist couldn’t resist going for the low blow in her ongoing online spat with gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles.

In her latest reply in the back-and-forth between the pair, Gaines referenced convicted sexual predator Larry Nassar — the former Team USA doctor who abused the Olympic legend and other females gymnasts.

"All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet [she] believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man’s feelings," the former collegiate swimmer posted to X.

"You know how many gold medals you’d have if your 'inclusive' dream came true? Zero."

Nassar is serving 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing hundreds of gymnasts, including Olympians Biles, Aly Raisman, and Gabby Douglas.

Biles blasted Gaines on X for criticizing a Minnesota softball team that included transgender player Marissa Rothenberger.

The pitcher threw a shutout and helped bring a state championship home to Champlin Park High School.

"To be expected when your star player is a boy," Gaines wrote in response to a photo of the team celebrating the winning season.

Biles, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, told Gaines she was "truly sick."

"All of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser," Biles wrote to Gaines, who competed against trans swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022.

"You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead ... You bully them ... One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!"

In another post, Biles added, "bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male."

Gaines called the dig "disappointing," and added, "It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform. Men don’t belong in women’s sports and I say that with my full chest."

Gaines added in a separate post, "My take is the least controversial take on the planet," and accused Biles of "being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls’ dreams."

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Martina Navratilova Was Allegedly "Censored" By ITV

ITV has been accused recently of trying to "censor" Martina Navratilova for stating a controversial boxer was male.

Dozens of other comments were also "hidden" from the broadcaster's X feed after it posted a story about Imane Khelif, the boxer who won a gold medal after being allowed to compete in the women’s event at last year's Olympic Games.

Earlier this week, Khelif was banned from women’s boxing by the regulator, World Boxing. A leaked blood test showed the Olympian has male XY chromosomes.

ITV later published a story headlined "Naming Imane Khelif has caused 'immeasurable psychological damage'" after the Algerian Boxing Federation complained about World Boxing’s decision to name the boxer.

Navratilova, the nine-time Wimbledon singles champion who has campaigned for gay rights, commented: "But a male beating the crap out of women is not too bad, apparently."

This comment was hidden by the broadcaster and reinstated only after users complained.

Dozens of other comments remain hidden, even though many of them simply state that the boxer is male.

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Apology Expected For Suspended Student Who Used The Term "Illegal Alien"

The family of a North Carolina high school student suspended for using the term "illegal alien" is expected to become US$ 20,000 richer once their paid under a proposed settlement, according to The New York Post.

The outlet reported 4 June that the settlement was reached to remove all references to racial bias from now-17-year-old Christian McGhee's record, provide compensation and issue a public apology "for the mischaracterization of racial bias."

"The Proposed Settlement provides C.M. with monetary compensation intended to defray the costs of his new school, which is private and charges annual tuition," according to the document.

The settlement is now pending a judge's approval.

McGhee’s lawyer, Liberty Justice Center attorney Dean McGee, told the Carolina Journal that a motion had been filed on 5 June, asking the court to approve a settlement to resolve the matter.

"Because Christian is a minor, a court hearing is required before the settlement can become final," he explained.

"We’ll have more to say after that hearing, but we're pleased to take this important step toward clearing our client’s name."

The teen received a three-day suspension last year after asking his teacher if a conversation in class was centered around "spaceship aliens" or "illegal aliens who need green cards" after he returned to the classroom from the restroom.

A Latino student present in the class reportedly "joked" that he was going to "kick Christian’s a--," leading the teacher to escalate the situation to the assistant principal.

The comment was ultimately deemed racially insensitive by the school administration, which the family disputes, and prompted a year-long legal battle.

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Marijuana And Cannabis Gummies Linked To Health Risk

It has been observed that long-term cannabis use in any form has been linked to a greater risk of heart disease.

In a new study, researchers at UC San Francisco determined that eating edible cannabis, such as gummies, has the same impact on cardiovascular risk as smoking marijuana.

The risk stems from reduced blood vessel function, according to the study, which was published in JAMA Cardiology on 28 May.

The study included 55 people between 18 and 50 years of age who were "outwardly healthy."

The participants were divided into three groups: those who regularly smoked marijuana, those who ate edibles containing THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and those who didn’t use cannabis, according to a UCSF press release.

The cannabis users had been consuming the substance at least three times weekly for at least one year.

On average, the smokers had the habit for 10 years, while those consuming edibles had been doing so for five years, the release noted.

In September 2024, the participants underwent testing to determine how well their blood vessels functioned and whether the cells lining the blood vessels were affected.

All cannabis users were found to have "decreased vascular function," comparable to those who smoke tobacco.

Their blood vessel function was roughly half compared to those who did not use cannabis.

This side effect has been linked to a higher risk of heart attack, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions, the researchers noted.

The participants who smoked marijuana were also found to have changes in their blood serum that harmed cells lining their blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, an effect that was not seen in those who ate edible cannabis.

The researchers noted that while smoking marijuana and consuming edibles both affect vascular function, they likely do so for different reasons.

"Chronic cannabis smoking and THC ingestion were associated with endothelial dysfunction [impaired functioning of the endothelial cells lining the inside of blood vessels] similar to that observed in tobacco smokers, although apparently occurring via distinct mechanisms," the researchers wrote.

"This study enhances the understanding of the potential risks to vascular health linked to cannabis use and provides more evidence that cannabis use is not benign."

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Alum Blasted Harvard For "Poorly Investing" Funds

Last 6 May, billionaire investor Bill Ackman said Harvard University, one of the nation's oldest and wealthiest, should not be entitled to taxpayer funds when the school wastes money on what he calls "administrative bloat."

Ackman, who earned undergraduate and business degrees from Harvard more than three decades ago, was speaking hours after the Trump administration said it was freezing future grants to Harvard.

He also criticized the school's investment policies, saying the Ivy League university is facing a financial crisis and that its US$ 53 billion endowment is "poorly invested."

"They have lost all future grants, their tax exemptions are at risk," Ackman said on a panel at the Milken Institute Global Conference where 5,000 financiers, educators and scientists gather to discuss critical issues of the day.

"It is all self-induced gross mismanagement and I think that the (Trump) administration is doing precisely the right thing now," Ackman told the packed room.

The U.S. Department of Education informed Harvard last 5 May that it was freezing billions of dollars in future research grants and other aid until the university concedes to a number of demands from the Trump administration, a senior department official said.

Harvard responded that the administration letter doubles down on demands that would impose "unprecedented and improper control" over the university and makes new threats to "illegally" withhold funding for lifesaving research.

"The notion is the federal government money is only going to fund breakthrough research, that is just false," Ackman said.

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Mandatory Testing Now Part Of Women's Boxing

Do you still remember Imane Khelif? She's the athlete, whose gold medal at last year’s Paris Olympics caused a global scandal. She was banned from competing in all future World Boxing events in the women’s category unless the Algerian can provide proof of being biologically female.

In a major development, World Boxing has bowed to intense pressure from campaigners for safety and fairness in women’s sport, many of whom had expressed outrage that Khelif was being allowed to compete again in the female division at next week’s Eindhoven World Cup.

The international governing body announced that Khelif, who was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after tests indicated the presence of male chromosomes, would need to pass mandatory sex screening in order to be deemed eligible.

So far, Khelif has not submitted to any such test in the nine months since a hugely controversial Olympic campaign, in which beaten Italian opponent Angela Carini said she had feared for her life.

Instead the 26-year-old’s efforts have been directed towards lawsuits against JK Rowling and Elon Musk and a heavily made-up appearance on the cover of Vogue Algeria. Khelif had pledged to defend Olympic gold at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, but that route appears to have been irrevocably closed off.

"The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on 'Sex, Age and Weight' to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women," World Boxing said in a statement. "The fighters’ national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing."

The organization confirmed that the decision was taken in response to "the particular circumstances around some boxers": namely, Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, both of whom had been banned by the International Boxing Association after failing sex eligibility tests, but who were permitted to fight in Paris last year after the International Olympic Committee decided that womanhood could be determined by passport status rather than biology.

World Boxing, provisionally approved to run the next Olympic event, confirmed it had informed Khelif and the Algerian federation of the shift in policy.

"Imane Khelif may not compete in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or in any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and testing procedures," it said.

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Can The Taliban End The "Bacha Bazi" Practice?

"Bacha Bāzī" is a traditional practuce in Afghanistan in which men exploit and enslave adolescent boys for entertainment and/or sexual abuse. The man exploiting the young boy is called a Bacha Baz.

These preadolescent boys, also known as "Bacha Bareesh" or beardless boys, come from impoverished families and serve as "entertainers" to influential Afghans. Dressed as girls and wearing makeup they dance for their masters who later take them in order to get involved in a sexual relationship. This is how these boys provide for their families.

It is not rare that these children are often taken from their parents with the excuse that they are going to be provided with an education and a promising future.

When they reach adolescent age and once their beard starts growing, their service is no longer desired and they are released. This is where their tragic lives continue to worsen due to the psychological damage caused and due to very difficult reintegration into society.

As the perpetrators have always been empowered warlords who have important positions in the Afghan corrupted government, police, and military systems, this practice, going back several centuries into the history of the country, has been a challenge when it comes to its eradication. As a deeply rooted custom, it has been a part of their culture whose archaic aspects are not easily forgotten.

During the reign of the Taliban government, the practice was outlawed. After the US invasion in 2001, the former mujahideen arose again and brought this custom back to life. Since then, the Bacha Bazi custom has evolved and pedophilia reached its peak. Across lawless Afghanistan young boys were kidnapped, raped, trafficked, and sold as sexual slaves (Foreign Policy, 2013).

The situation and the mentality in Afghanistan got so distorted that the families of these boys consensually handed over their sons knowing exactly what their destiny was. The fact that this custom has evolved into an institutionalized practice in certain regions is beyond disturbing. All the efforts made to suppress the practice failed due to the level of corruption of the Afghan government and its involvement in it.

Once the custom made its comeback following the US invasion in 2001, members of US Special Forces could hear from their bunks Afghan militia members sexually abusing boys in their base, however, they were not allowed to take action and were advised to "look the other way because it’s their culture" (The New York Times, 2015). Nevertheless, in 2011 one of the captains of US Special Forces beat up an Afghan National Police (ANP) for keeping an Afghan boy tied to his bed as a sex slave (AP News, 2015).

Hope that "Bacha Bazi" would finally face its end was high when the Taliban took Afghanistan again in August 2021. The problem is that the legal system in the country became more complex because the perpretrators are reportedly powerful individuals ruling the transitioning Afghanistan.

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