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Caitlin Clark was infamously left off the last U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team in Paris in 2024.
Two years later, the controversy surrounding the WNBA’s handling of Clark has reached many corners of the sports world, and caught the attention of Olympians from multiple countries.
After weeks of controversy, ignited by a punch to Clark’s throat by another player and has since featured Clark screaming in the face of referees on Wednesday night, eight Olympians across three countries have come forward to Fox News Digital to speak out against the WNBA in defense of Clark.
Nancy Hogshead, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer for the U.S.
“The WNBA needs the courage to act decisively for athlete safety. Caitlin Clark is a generational superstar, but she deserves the same protection as every player,” Hogshead told Fox News Digital.
“The WNBA cannot continue to allow any dangerous conduct to go unchecked. A fist pressed against a player’s throat is never ‘just part of the game.’ It’s wildly unacceptable. WNBA: Enforce your rules, hold offenders accountable, and put athlete safety first.”
Anthony Watson, first Olympian to represent Jamaica in skeleton
“As an Olympian, I’ve always believed sports has never been about what you look like or where you come from. It’s always been finding the answer to the one pressing question: can the champion stay on top, or can the next contender rise up and take their place? The athletes who prepare the hardest, perform when the pressure is the hardest, and deliver in the biggest moments are the ones who earn respect. Caitlin Clark has done exactly that. Yet instead of celebrating her elite competition, too much of the conversation has shifted to who she is rather than what she’s accomplished,” Watson told Fox News Digital.
“She has faced repeated hard fouls and relentless criticism, that if roles were reversed people would now use race as an excuse and the league always looks like it’s reacting instead of leading.The reality is that Caitlin Clark brought unprecedented attention back to the WNBA.
“The league had passionate fans before she arrived, but her impact expanded the audience in a way that’s hard to ignore. That’s what transcendent athletes do for their generation, they elevate the sport. Every era has someone willing to push the standard higher, and that’s how sports grow.
“Her legacy is already taking shape. The challenge now isn’t proving if she belongs because she has already shown that. It’s continuing to perform at an elite level while the league does its part to protect its players and let the competition, not the controversy, be the headline story.
Donna de Varona, two-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer for the U.S.
“For those of us pioneers who had no college or professional sports opportunities and have worked tirelessly to elevate all women in sports, the abuse behavior directed at Caitlin Clark is disrespectful and short sighted. A talented performer in any sport lifts up everyone. Players who do not understand this are undermining the WNBA,” de Varona told Fox News Digital.
Katie Uhlaender, U.S. skeleton athlete, five-time Olympian
“Holy Cow! That’s what I thought when seeing a fist on Caitlin’s throat. Then to hear Sophie [Cunningham] say she feels they are targeting her? What’s being done about this?” Uhlaender told Fox News Digital.
“Safety is not a political issue. All players deserve fair play, safety, and sports are at their best when the focus is on the game, not on whether the integrity of the officials are up to standard. If athletes are questioning the officials, what is the WNBA doing to address that? I want to see the integrity of the rules upheld consistently, so should the WNBA.”
Steffen Gebhardt, Olympian and world champion for Germany in modern pentathlon
“The goal of every functional sports league should be to promote the sport and the athletes in the sport. The goal of all of the athletes in the league should be to showcase their athleticism to the fans. When the public focus of the league becomes peripheral drama having nothing to do with the fundamental sport, the league will always suffer,” Gebhardt told Fox News Digital.
Eli Bremer, U.S. modern pentathlete at Beijing 2008
“The WNBA never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Having spent years falling all over themselves seemingly trying to build a social movement rather than an actual sports league, they are now botching a once in a generation opportunity with an athlete like Caitlin Clark,” Bremer told Fox News Digital.
“If the WNBA wants to become a truly relevant sports league that offers women a high-paid professional opportunity, they will need to clear out the petty drama and focus on building a world-class sporting operation that supports their star athletes.”
Inga Thompson, U.S. women’s cyclist, three-time Olympian
“I noticed that after the letter was sent by members of Congress, news media called out the 11th best player vote by fellow players, criticism of the officiating. The last game changed from gutter/thug ball to professional ball. I hope Caitlin is finally going to be recognized as a passionate athlete and a generational player. Celebrate her, her awesome teammates, and the WNBA. All should thrive, instead of this ripping apart everything to its demise,” Thompson told Fox News Digital.
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Carrie Englert Zimmerman, U.S. women’s gymnast at Montreal 1976
“The WNBA has not been aggressive enough in protecting Caitlin Clark. Every player in the league deserves the same safeguards when they step on the court. The WNBA’s responsibility is to enforce its rules consistently and make it clear that talent should be challenged by great basketball, not by unchecked cheap shots,” Zimmerman told Fox News Digital.
