On February 10, 2025, Simone Biles posted a series of pictures radiating a big smile, surrounded by loved ones in one of her favorite places! Any guesses? Well, the pictures were taken in World Championship Center (WCC) during the 8th Annual Biles Invitational, and Simone took to her Instagram to express her gratitude to all the volunteers and her family who came out to help her run the event! Well, the list was a pretty long one, starting from her husband, Jonathan Owens, to Jordan Chiles, and so on! It’s not even five months since the successful wrap of the event, and we have a new update…

Inside Gymnastics Magazine took to their Instagram handle today to announce an important decision made by the Simone Biles Invitational’s hosts, World Champions Centre. Posting a picture of Biles from the 2024 Olympics, with her gold medal, the picture read, “Simone Biles Invitational to feature division for special needs athletes!”

Further explaining in the caption, “💖💖💖 Love this! WCC has announced a Special Needs Division will be included at her signature competition. ‘We will be offering HUGS at the 2026 Simone Biles International Invitational The HUGS program is part of the ‘Gymnastics For All’ initiative by USA Gymnastics. This program’s mission is to offer a competitive women’s artistic gymnastics program for athletes with special needs.” And what is this program all about?

The HUGS program, standing for Hope Unites Gymnastics with Special Athletes, is an adaptive initiative under USA Gymnastics. It’s designed to bring meaningful gymnastics experiences to athletes with intellectual or physical disabilities, offering them safe, joyful, and skills‑centered environments. It offers inclusive gymnastics classes in artistic, trampoline & tumbling, and rhythmic formats, structured like mainstream classes but tailored for individual abilities. These sessions enhance motor skills, balance, strength, coordination, confidence, social interaction, and fun. This announcement by WCC has one of the fans saying, “need to see more gyms follow in pursuit“.

Now Simone Biles Invitational is also a part of this list, and fans are in full support.

Fans flood in support of Simone Biles

Despite her recent controversy, it didn’t take much time for the fans to give all of their support to the gymnastics queen. One of the fans said, “Love this! Another reason to love & support Simone. 🙌🏽🙌🏽 Love the inclusivity.” Simone Biles has always stood for inclusivity and empowerment. Remember how in 2021, Biles joined Athleta to aid in the brand’s mission of fostering community, igniting activity, and inspiring the next generation to be the best version of themselves.

Another fan took to the comments section of the post to say, “WTG Simone! You really are the GOAT 🩷🌷💜 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷”. Is that even a question? Be it ruling the medals tally, or be it raising awareness regarding mental health in the sport, or being an inspiration for not just gymnasts but across sports, she has done it all! A fan applauded her, saying, “Actually improving women’s sports 👏👏👏“. One of the major focuses of Biles’ deal with Athleta was to work together on initiatives with a particular focus towards encouraging millions of girls to rise and explore their limitless potential. “Using my voice has been very empowering for me, and I am grateful to embark on this new journey with Athleta to inspire young girls and women to do the same,” Biles had said back then.

“Simone has found a way to give back to the sport that built her. 😊❤️,” commented another one of her fans, and honestly, when has she not? And her support for gymnastics goes beyond gender. After Paris 2024, she invited some of the top male American gymnasts for her tour. The tour aimed to elevate men’s gymnastics visibility and inspire broader participation.“Bringing the guys on board was designed to show what men’s gymnastics has to offer,” Biles said back then. What are your thoughts? What do you think about the HUGS move by WCC? Let us know in the comments down below!