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Caitlin Clark was conspicuously left out of the final US 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 has caught the attention of Olympic athletes from several countries.
After weeks of controversy, sparked by a punch to Clark’s throat by another player and which has since included Clark screaming in referees’ faces Wednesday night, eight Olympians from three countries appeared on Pak Gazette Digital to speak out against the WNBA in Clark’s defense.
Nancy Hogshead, three-time US Olympic gold medalist swimmer
Olympic swimmer Nancy Hogshead Makar is photographed in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 28, 2022. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)
“The WNBA needs the courage to act decisively for the safety of athletes. Caitlin Clark is a generational superstar, but she deserves the same protection as all players,” Hogshead told Pak Gazette Digital.
“The WNBA cannot continue to allow any dangerous behavior to go unchecked. A fist pressed against a player’s throat is never ‘just part of the game’. It is tremendously unacceptable. WNBA: Enforce your rules, hold violators accountable, and put athlete safety first.”
Anthony Watson, first Olympian to represent Jamaica in skeleton
Anthony Watson of Jamaica looks on after finishing the men’s skeleton heat 3 race during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at the Olympic Sliding Center on February 16, 2018 in Pyeongchang. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP)
“As an Olympian, I have always believed that sports have never been about how you look or where you come from. It has always been about finding the answer to a pressing question: can the champion stay on top or can the next contender rise up and take his place? The athletes who prepare the hardest, perform when the pressure is hardest and deliver in the biggest moments are the ones who earn respect. Caitlin Clark has done exactly that. However, instead of celebrating her elite competition, great Some of the conversation has focused on “It’s focused on who she is and not what she’s accomplished,” Watson told Pak Gazette Digital.
“She has faced repeated harsh fouls and relentless criticism, that if the roles were reversed, people would now use race as an excuse and the league always seems to be 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 raise the sport. Every era has someone willing to raise the bar, and that’s how sports grow.
“Her legacy is already taking shape. The challenge now is not to prove if she belongs because she has already proven it. It is to continue to perform at an elite level while the league does its part to protect its players and let competition, not controversy, be the main story.
Donna de Varona, two-time US Olympic gold medalist swimmer
President Ronald Reagan with Donna De Varona (blue dress) as they address the Women’s Sports Foundation. (Getty Images)
“For those of us pioneers who did not have college or professional sports opportunities and have worked tirelessly to elevate all women in sports, the abusive behavior directed at Caitlin Clark is disrespectful and shortsighted. A talented player in any sport elevates everyone. Players who do not understand this are undermining the WNBA,” de Varona told Pak Gazette Digital.
Katie Uhlaender, American skeleton athlete, five-time Olympian
Katie Uhlaender will return to the Games with her signature fuchsia hair.
“Holy cow! That’s what I thought when I saw a fist on Caitlin’s throat. Then when I heard Sophie [Cunningham] You say you feel like you’re being attacked? What is being done about it?” Uhlaender told Pak Gazette Digital.
“Safety is not a political issue. All players deserve fair play, safety, and sports are better when the focus is on the game, not whether the integrity of the referees is up to standard. If athletes are questioning the referees, what is the WNBA doing to address that? I want to see the integrity of the rules being upheld consistently, and the WNBA should too.”
Steffen Gebhardt, Olympic athlete and modern pentathlon world champion for Germany
Germany’s Steffen Gebhardt rides Vito during the modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics in London. (Sampics/Corbis via Getty Images)
“The goal of every functional sports league should be to promote the sport and the athletes in the sport. The goal of every athlete in the league should be to showcase their athleticism to the fans. When the public focus of the league becomes peripheral drama that has nothing to do with the core sport, the league will always suffer,” Gebhardt told Pak Gazette Digital.
Eli Bremer, American modern pentathlete in Beijing 2008
Eli Bremer of the United States celebrates in the Men’s Fencing Epee One Touch Modern Pentathlon held at the Fencing Hall during day 13 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
“The WNBA never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. After spending years falling over themselves seemingly trying to build a social movement instead of an actual sports league, they are now squandering a once-in-a-generation opportunity with an athlete like Caitlin Clark,” Bremer told Pak Gazette Digital.
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“If the WNBA wants to become a truly relevant sports league that offers women a well-paying career opportunity, they will need to clear up the petty drama and focus on building a world-class sports operation that supports their star athletes.”
Inga Thompson, American women’s cyclist, three-time Olympian
“I noticed that after members of Congress sent the letter, the media brought up the 11th best player vote by her peers, criticism of officiating. The last game changed from gutter/bully ball to pro ball. I hope Caitlin is finally recognized as a passionate athlete and generational player. Celebrate her, her amazing teammates and the WNBA. Everyone should thrive, instead of tearing everything down to their demise,” Thompson told Pak Gazette Digital.
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Carrie Englert Zimmerman, American gymnast in Montreal 1976
“The WNBA has not been aggressive enough in protecting Caitlin Clark. Every player in the league deserves the same safeguards when they take 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 uncontrolled cheap shots,” Zimmerman told Pak Gazette Digital.
