NBC play-by-play announcer Al Trautwig said Monday he regrets tweeting that the adoptive mother and father of American gymnastics star Simone Biles were not her parents, a declaration that angered advocates for adoption.

Trautwig had been scolded by a woman on Twitter for not referring to Ron and Nellie Biles as the 19-year-old Olympic gymnast's parents. Ron Biles, her maternal grandfather, and his wife, Nellie, adopted Simone and her sister Adria in 2000 after they spent time in foster care.

NBC ordered Trautwig to delete his tweet.

"To set the record straight, Ron and Nellie are Simone's parents," Trautwig said Monday.

Simone Biles, 19, went to live with her grandparents in Texas while her mother struggled with drugs and alcohol in Ohio, and she was adopted when the birth mother's parental rights were terminated. Simone remains in contact with Shanon Biles but is quick to correct anyone who calls Shanon her mother. Shanon Biles is her biological mother, she says. Nellie Biles is mom.

"Mother" and "father" were also the phrases used by NBC in a profile of Biles that aired Sunday night.

Shortly thereafter, Trautwig said on the air that Simone "was raised by her grandfather and his wife, and she calls them mom and dad."

A woman on Twitter then urged Trautwig to stop calling Ron and Nellie her grandfather and his wife.

"They are her parents," she wrote.

But Trautwig replied in his since-deleted tweet: "They may be mom and dad but they are NOT her parents."

Carrie Goldman, who lives outside Chicago and writes a blog, "Portrait of an Adoption," told The Associated Press she hopes NBC uses the opportunity to educate viewers about adoption, given the Olympics' big audience and Biles' high profile. Trautwig's statement was a good first step, she said.

"Clearly the tide of public opinion has gotten through to NBC," she said.

Fencer keeps faith

Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first American athlete Monday to compete in the Olympics with a hijab.

Muhammad, 30, wears a hijab, a head covering for Muslim women, which adheres to the tenets of her faith.

Muhammad, ranked eighth in the world in sabre, beat Ukranian Olena Kravatska 15-13 in her first match before falling to France's Cecilia Berder 15-12 in the round of 16.

Muhammad will compete again Saturday in the team sabre event.

"I feel like it's a blessing to be able to represent so many people who don't have voices, who don't speak up," Muhammad told The Associated Press. "It's just been a really remarkable experience."

Muhammad, a New Jersey native and three-time NCAA All-American from Duke, became an instant star when she qualified for her first Olympics earlier this year.

Muhammad's siblings, parents and friends came from as far away as Los Angeles and New Jersey to cheer her on, giving Muhammad a standing ovation ahead of her first match.

Muhammad got off to a shaky start against Kravatska, but she rallied with a string of points that put her over the top.

But Berder, ranked ninth, took control of their round of 16 match midway through and rolled to victory.

SPORTS QUIZ

Who were the first sisters to swim together on the U.S. Olympic swim team?

ANSWER

Tara and Dana Kirk. The Kirk sisters, originally from Bremerton, Wash., competed for the U.S. in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Tara won a silver medal by swimming for the Americans in the preliminaries of the 400-meter medley relay. Dana finished ninth in the 200-meter butterfly semifinals.

Sports on 08/09/2016