Overview
- Simone Biles, who posted the request Sunday on Instagram, said fans waiting outside her Madrid hotel made her anxious and asked supporters to respect her privacy.
- She is in Spain as a Laureus World Sports Awards ambassador and appeared at the ceremony, and she noted her husband Jonathan Owens stayed in the United States for Colts training camp.
- Biles said she is happy to take photos when she is out in public, drawing a line between planned interactions and people staking out her lodging.
- Her plea follows earlier boundary-setting, including describing overwhelming crowding at the Paris 2024 Olympic Village and a 2025 post saying unwanted touching in public upsets her.
- Outlets linked the request to safety concerns after Owens reported a February 15 incident in Milan where someone tried to snatch his shopping bag, and the Daily Mail reported she presented a Lifetime Award to Nadia Comaneci in Madrid.