Simone Biles’ focus, for most of the night, was likely on giving Nadia Comaneci the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards. And while preparing for that, the last thing the 11-time Olympic medalist would have ever predicted dealing with would be a potential major wardrobe malfunction. But that’s exactly what happened, and like everything else in her career, Biles dealt with it in stride.

The keyword, however, is ‘potential major wardrobe malfunction,’ because luckily, Biles and her team quickly resolved the issue. The 29-year-old shared the incident with fans on her Instagram Stories. “What you don’t see,” Biles said on Instagram, as per People. “Getting sewn into my dress because it busted.”

The video showed Biles holding the camera above her head, where a woman was likely sewing her dress onto her body. It was not quite the start to the night she would have wanted, but the evening ended exactly the way many had pictured. Biles was on stage alongside Bart Conner, a fellow Olympic gold medalist and Comaneci’s husband, giving the award to the Romanian icon.

For context, Comaneci was the first ever gymnast to score a perfect 10 at the Olympic Games. She did it in the 1976 Games, scoring 10.0, and then repeated the feat six more times. By the end of the Montreal Games, Comaneci had won three gold medals. The Romanian later added two more perfect 10s and two more Olympic golds, ending her career with nine Olympic medals. 

Biles herself is an American icon who has won multiple Olympic gold medals. Not only that, while she has never been called it, Biles may be the closest thing to Comaneci in the modern era, making the moment that much more important.

But the dress in question had Biles trending across social media, especially after she strutted across the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards red carpet. The 29-year-old was wearing a gold one-shoulder minidress designed by Cong Tri and styled by Marc Desir. Biles’ gold clutch and her other accessories complemented the dress as she made her mark off the mat yet again.

After all, Biles has been away from gymnastics for a long time. The 29-year-old last competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics but walked away feeling exhausted, physically and mentally. Since then, she has taken a break and not returned to elite training or competition. However, she has remained active in the gymnastics world, becoming a Laureus ambassador in February.

“Laureus has played a meaningful role in my journey for many years, and I am incredibly proud to have been honoured four times as Laureus Sportswoman of the Year, including at last year’s Awards in Madrid, which was an unforgettable night for me,” Biles said in her statement.

“Today I am just as proud to be joining Laureus as an Ambassador. I am honoured to help support Laureus as I share the big idea at the heart of everything Laureus does: that sport has the power to change the world.”

Following that, she visited Polisportiva Garegnano in Milan and was also a special guest for Laureus at the Milano Cortina Olympics. The 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards marks the second time she has appeared as an ambassador for Laureus. And except for her near wardrobe malfunction, things went well at the event.

“Basically the Oscars… but make it sports🤏🏾🤍,” Biles wrote on Instagram. “First @laureussport World Sports Awards as an ambassador and I’m feeling inspired by every story in the room✨.”

Yet the wardrobe malfunction wasn’t the only thing Biles had to navigate in Madrid. Upon her arrival, fans flooded around her hotel, waiting for the 29-year-old Olympic superstar to turn up. That made her so anxious that she had to reach out to her 10 million fans on social media. 

Simone Biles makes an emotional plea to fans in Madrid

“Okay I reallllllly love how passionate and dedicated y’all are, BUT I have to be honest. It really makes me anxious when you stand outside of the hotel all day,” Biles wrote on her Instagram Stories.

“Can we please please please love from afar & respect privacy xx 🤎🤎🤎.”

However, she didn’t completely shut down the fans. Instead, she offered them a compromise to assuage them as she added, “I would love to take pics while I’m out & about though 🤎”

Ultimately, Biles navigated both the wardrobe mishap and intense fan pressure with a poise that defines her public life, proving her influence now extends far beyond the gymnastics mat.