What's new

Should transgender athletes be allowed to compete in major events?

Should transgender athletes be allowed to compete in major events?

  • Total voters
    24
MenInG

MenInG

PakPassion Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Runs
217,863
Is it fair that transgender athletes are allowed to compete in major events with regular gender people?

I am talking in terms of physical advantage only.

==


New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard has become the first ever transgender athlete picked to compete at an Olympics, in a controversial decision.

Officials have selected her for the women's weightlifting team for Tokyo 2020, after qualifying requirements were recently modified.

She had competed in men's events before coming out as transgender in 2013.

Critics say Hubbard has an unfair advantage, but others have argued for more inclusion at the Games.

"I am grateful and humbled by the kindness and support that has been given to me by so many New Zealanders," Hubbard said in a statement issued by the New Zealand Olympic Committee on Monday.

She will compete in the women's 87-kg weightlifting category.

The 43-year-old became eligible to compete at the Olympics when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2015 changed its rules allowing transgender athletes to compete as a woman if their testosterone levels are below a certain threshold.

Testosterone is a hormone that increases muscle mass.

Controversial choice

While the athlete's testosterone levels are below that threshold, critics say her participation in the Olympics is still unfair for female-born athletes.

They have pointed to the biological advantages of those who have gone through puberty as males, such as increased bone and muscle density.

Last month, Belgian weightlifter Anna Vanbellinghen, who is competing in the same category, said that if Hubbard were to compete in Tokyo it would be unfair for women and "like a bad joke".

She said that while she fully supported the transgender community, the principle of inclusion should not be "at the expense of others".

"Anyone that has trained weightlifting at a high level knows this to be true in their bones: this particular situation is unfair to the sport and to the athletes," she said in May. "Life-changing opportunities are missed for some athletes - medals and Olympic qualifications - and we are powerless."

Save Women's Sport Australasia, an advocacy group arguing against transgender athletes to compete in women's competitions has also criticised Hubbard's selection for the Tokyo Games.

"It is flawed policy from the IOC that has allowed the selection of a 43-year-old biological male who identifies as a woman to compete in the female category," the group said in a statement ahead of Monday's decision.

'Inclusion and respect for all'

But New Zealand's government and the country's top sporting body have backed her inclusion for the upcoming Olympics.

"As well as being among the world's best for her event, Laurel has met the IWF eligibility criteria, including those based on IOC Consensus Statement guidelines for transgender athletes," New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Kereyn Smith said.

"We acknowledge that gender identity in sport is a highly sensitive and complex issue requiring a balance between human rights and fairness on the field of play," he added.

"As the New Zealand team, we have a strong culture of 'manaaki' (respect) and inclusion and respect for all."

The head of Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand, Richie Patterson, said Hubbard had shown "grit and perseverance" to recover from a career-threatening 2018 injury.

"We look forward to supporting her in her final preparations towards Tokyo," he said.

Past controversies

Laurel Hubbard is among the top ranked athletes in the world in her category.

She has a good chance at winning a medal, as several others won't compete due to rules by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) that that there should be only one lifter per category from each country.

Hubbard's participation in previous competitions had sparked controversy in the past.

In 2019 she won a gold medal at the Pacific Games in Samoa, beating an athlete from the host nation, which triggered outrage.

Samoa's weightlifting boss has since said the New Zealander's selection for Tokyo was like allowing athletes to "dope" and feared it could again cost his country a medal.

In 2018, Australia's weightlifting federation tried to have Hubbard barred from the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

Organisers rejected the move. But in the end Hubbard had to withdraw from the competition due to an injury.

BBC
 
Last edited:
Not unless they have their own sub-division.

It's blatantly unfair to female athletes that don't have elevated testosterone levels or the natural physical advantage possessed by athletes that were biologically male when they were born.

Mockery of elite sport.
 
Last edited:
Need of the hour is to have LGBTQ Olympics.

Preferably in Nigeria as the first host nation with Pepe Julian Onziema being the ambassador.
 
street cricketer said:
Why transsexuals?
Click to expand...

They will inject hormones accordingly and will go through surgery to bring their physical traits similar as the targeted gender. So the discrepancy due to hormonal difference and accordingly physical difference will be minimal in case of transsexuals (thus fair competition) unlike transgender.
 
Itachi said:
They will inject hormones accordingly and will go through surgery to bring their physical traits similar as the targeted gender. So the discrepancy due to hormonal difference and accordingly physical difference will be minimal in case of transsexuals (thus fair competition) unlike transgender.
Click to expand...

A fully grown man can transition to the other gender through gender reaffirmation surgery and even if his/her testosterone levels would go down, his body stature, bone density and muscle density would all be still that of a man. It's what said in the OP.
 
street cricketer said:
A fully grown man can transition to the other gender through gender reaffirmation surgery and even if his/her testosterone levels would go down, his body stature, bone density and muscle density would all be still that of a man. It's what said in the OP.
Click to expand...

She is a transgender, not a transsexual. big difference.

The article is mixing up these two.

If you are talking about bone density, then it is opening a pandoras box because some biological females have stronger muscle and bones than men and other women. Should we start to have a different league for them too?
 
Itachi said:
She is a transgender, not a transsexual. big difference.

The article is mixing up these two.

If you are talking about bone density, then it is opening a pandoras box because some biological females have stronger muscle and bones than men and other women. Should we start to have a different league for them too?
Click to expand...

An overwhelming majority of males have a higher bone density than females. If we're going to allow transsexuals to compete with women just because of that one random woman who has a higher bone density than the average man, I'm not sure of the rationale for this one. Let's agree to disagree.
 
Just for my info why some claim gender to be non binary and fluid?

Also, some claim homosexuality to be prevalent among animals to portray it as natural. Which animals are those?
 
Transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard is eligible to compete in the Tokyo Games because of her qualifications and official IOC rules

Hubbard is set to make history at this summer's Olympic Games as the first openly transgender athlete to compete in a solo event. The 43-year-old weightlifter was chosen by New Zealand's Olympic team on June 21 for the women's +87 kg category and, under the International Olympic Committee's current rules that state transgender women can compete in accordance with their gender identity if they meet several criteria, is eligible. She is one of three transgender athletes making history in these Games, joining Quinn — who will compete for Canada's soccer team — and Chelsea Wolfe, an American BMX reserve rider joining Team USA as a reserve.
 
FTM (Female to Male) - yes.

MTF (Male to Female) - no, unless they reduce testoserone levels to the average female levels but even then they have the advantage of denser bones and other biophysiological advantages men have. It's not that it's not fair to cisgender women, it's dangerous for them.
 
The answer is an obvious no but somehow we have got ourselves in a situation where this is deemed as discrimination.
 
Depends on the sport imo.

If it is a team sport which already has mixed teams/mixed relays etc (as many do) then personally I don’t see much of an issue with it.

However if it is something like boxing, taekwondo, or of course the real life example which is weightlifting, then it should absolutely be a firm no!
 
There should be Transgender Olympics like Special Olympics.
 
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe says the rules that bar female athletes with high levels of testosterone from participating in events between 400m and a mile are "here to stay".

It comes after a correction to 2017 data which was part of the evidence used to introduce the rules.

The correction led to calls for a suspension of the rules for athletes with differences of sexual development.

But Coe said: "We absolutely stand by those regulations."

A correction to the data appeared in the British Journal of Sports Medicine with the scientists behind it accepting it "could have been misleading".

Lawyers for South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya - barred from defending her Olympic 800m title at the Tokyo Games under the DSD regulations - then argued the rules should be suspended.

World Athletics had responded by saying the amendment "clarifies the exploratory nature of this study. It has no bearing on the decade of research undertaken by World Athletics that informed its Eligibility Regulations for the Female Classification".

The body also pointed to "several peer-reviewed publications" which "supported a causal relationship between elevated serum testosterone levels and improved anthropometric/physiological features and athletics performance in young females".

"There is 10 years of solid science that underpins the regulations," Coe told the BBC on Saturday when asked about the issue.

"I am sorry if there are athletes who have been misled by self interested and conflicted observations often by lawyers. The reality is that the rules are here to stay."

He also urged athletes with questions about the subject to speak to his organisation: "You will get proper straightforward scientific answers not some of the disingenuous comments and observations that we have witnessed in the last few days."

The issue of DSD athletes was raised at the recent Tokyo Games when Namibian sprinters Beatrice Masilingi and Christine Mboma reached the women's 200m after being barred from competing in the 400m because of their testosterone levels.

The pair were also in 200m action at the World Under-20 Championships on Saturday, with Mboma winning and compatriot Masilingi coming second.

BBC
 
James said:
Depends on the sport imo.

If it is a team sport which already has mixed teams/mixed relays etc (as many do) then personally I don’t see much of an issue with it.
Click to expand...
They usually have rules as to how many men and how many women in the team.
 
<b>Emily Bridges: Transgender cyclist still seeks clarity on 'alleged ineligibility'</b>

Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges says she has been "harassed and demonised" after being told she cannot compete in the National Omnium Championships.

Bridges, 21, says she has provided medical evidence that she is eligible to race in her first women's event.

However, she still has "little clarity" around her "alleged ineligibility".

"No-one should have to choose between being who they are and participating in the sport that they love," she said in a statement on social media.

Bridges says that, for the last six months, she has been in contact with British Cycling and the sport's world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), over the eligibility criteria she needed to meet to compete this Saturday.

British Cycling's transgender regulations, which were updated in January this year, require riders to have had testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for a 12-month period prior to competition.

Bridges says she has provided both British Cycling and the UCI with evidence that she meets the criteria "including that my testosterone level has been far below the limit prescribed by the regulations for the last 12 months".

The UCI told British Cycling that, because international ranking points are allocated at national championship events, Bridges' participation could only be allowed once her eligibility to race in international competitions is confirmed.

This process is currently ongoing.

British Cycling said on Wednesday they had been informed by the UCI that "under their current guidelines Emily is not eligible to participate" in this weekend's event in Derby.

But Bridges said: "Despite the public announcement I still have little clarity around their finding of my ineligibility.

"I am an athlete and I just want to race competitively again. I hope that they will reconsider their decision in line with the regulations."

She added: "I've been relentlessly harassed and demonised by those who have a specific agenda to push.

"They attack anything that isn't the norm. This is without care for the wellbeing of individuals or marginalised groups."

Bridges says her privacy has also been "totally violated" and she has received "targeted abuse" on social media, "despite the fact I have not yet raced in the female category".

Bridges began hormone therapy last year as part of her gender dysphoria treatment and continued to compete in men's races, but she was a provisional entry on the women's starting list for the National Omnium Championships.

According to Cycling Weekly, Bridges has been participating in a study at Loughborough University to track her own power data with reduced testosterone levels - and says they show a 13-16% drop in her power outputs across six-second, one-minute, five-minute and 20-minute durations.

Bridges also says she has received a mixed response on speaking publicly about her transition, but many female cyclists have sent messages of support.

However, after the UCI deemed she is ineligible, British 800m athlete Ellie Baker said on social media: "I would refuse to race and hope that the other women would stand with me on this too.

"This is totally unfair. The advantages a trans women has had from going through puberty as a boy to a man can never been undone."

On Thursday, Liz Ward, director of programmes at campaign group Stonewall, said Bridges "hasn't been given a fair chance to compete in Saturday's race".

"It is disappointing that UCI have overruled British Cycling's competition criteria, which Emily was in full compliance of," she added.

"British Cycling had already extensively consulted on their trans-inclusion policy, which is fully in line with International Olympic Committee guidelines. Our thoughts are with Emily."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/60960213
 
<b>Prime Minister Boris Johnson says transgender women should not compete in women's sport</b>

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he does not believe transgender women should compete in female sporting events - a view he conceded may be "controversial".

The issue of transgender athletes - centred around the balance of inclusion, sporting fairness and safety in women's sport - has recently focused on the case of transgender cyclist Emily Bridges.

Bridges was recently ruled ineligible to compete in her first elite women's race by cycling's world governing body.

Johnson was speaking on a range of issues, including the government's approach to the ban on so-called conversion therapy, before adding: "I don't think biological males should be competing in female sporting events. Maybe that's a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible.

"I also happen to think that women should have spaces - whether it's in hospitals, prison or changing rooms - which are dedicated to women. That's as far as my thinking has developed on this issue.

"If that puts me in conflict with some others, then we have got to work it all out. It doesn't mean I'm not immensely sympathetic to people who want to change gender, to transition and it's vital we give people the maximum love and support in making those decisions.

"These are complex issues and they can't be solved with one swift, easy piece of legislation. It takes a lot of thought to get this right."

In response to Johnson's comments, LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall said: "Trans people deserve the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy the benefits of sport and blanket exclusions on trans people participating are fundamentally unfair.

"This is a complex and fast-evolving issue and much of the science doesn't yet exist in this area.

"Inclusion policies need to be considered on a sport by sport basis and it's vital to avoid using inflammatory rhetoric, which often causes trans people to stop playing the sports they love."

Stonewall said that although elite sport "often dominates these discussions", transgender people are also "underrepresented in community sport" where they "often feel excluded".

The organisation added: "Sport has the unique power to bring us together and it's important trans people have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of sport without facing exclusion or abuse."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/61012030
 
If you had a penis and testicles at birth, then you're not a woman, regardless of what drugs you take or what bit's you've had chopped off.
 
No, transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete in men and women's sporting events. Nor should those who 'identify' as women be allowed to be incarcerated in women's prisons, nor should there be single latrines where all and sundry can relieve themselves of life's burdens.

The trend towards evolving gender identities or gender confusion began with feminism, which resulted in abortion on demand and an ever increasing circle of multiple factions all claiming to be uniquely separate from the human race. Men are being emasculated and women are being masculinized - each expected to become exactly like the other. Women and men are different and no amount of scientific manipulation or mental acrobatics can change that reality. This is the ideology the West wants to impose upon the rest of the world, with some pockets of resistance most of the planet is falling in line for fear of being regime changed on 'humanitarian' grounds.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...omens-jails-by-transgender-convicts-cx9m8zqpg
 
Not often i find myself agreeing with Boris, however Women have worked very hard to try and build a platform in sports where they can hold their own.

Allowing "transitioned" men to compete would undo all there hard work, whats stopping a failed male boxer from changing his gender and going onto become a womens world champion for example.

I feel this should not be limited to sport aswel, prisons, toilets i would never advocate mixing.
 
silentkiller187 said:
Not often i find myself agreeing with Boris, however Women have worked very hard to try and build a platform in sports where they can hold their own.

Allowing "transitioned" men to compete would undo all there hard work, whats stopping a failed male boxer from changing his gender and going onto become a womens world champion for example.

I feel this should not be limited to sport aswel, prisons, toilets i would never advocate mixing.
Click to expand...
There's political pressure to allow men, even children, to claim that 'they now wish to be regarded as being female' without any treatment or medical checks, but simply on the basis that "today I feel like I'm a woman". And thereby be allowed to use female toilets, changing rooms, as well as competing in female sports. Anybody stopping and questioning that 'woman' (say a security guard at a shopping centre seeing someone looking and dressed like a man walking into the women's toilets) could be accused of gender discrimination or similar.

Just imagine teenage boys at school using that law to enter girls toilets and changing rooms. (And a few hours later stating "Nope. I was wrong today. I made a mistake. I'm still a man")
 
Line in the sand drawn by Boris on this one.

Quite a strong, clear statement which makes it clear what the UK government’s stance will be on this issue for the foreseeable future.
 
Lia Thomas swam for the Pennsylvanian men's team before beginning hormone replacement therapy in 2019
Transgender athletes "are not a threat" to women's sport, says American swimmer Lia Thomas.

In March, Thomas became the first known transgender swimmer to win the highest US national college title with victory in the women's 500-yard freestyle.

She said athletes did not transition to gain a competitive advantage.

The conversation around the inclusion of transgender women in women's sport has divided opinion both inside and outside the sporting sphere.

Many argue transgender women should not compete in women's sport because of any advantages they may retain - but others argue sport should be more inclusive.

World Athletics president Lord Coe has said the "integrity" and "future" of women's sport would be "very fragile" if sporting organisations gets regulations for transgender athletes wrong.

"The biggest misconception, I think, is the reason I transitioned," Thomas told ABC and ESPN. "People will say, 'Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.' I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself."

She added: "Trans women competing in women's sports does not threaten women's sports as a whole.

"Trans women are a very small minority of all athletes. The NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] rules regarding trans women competing in women's sports have been around for 10-plus years. And we haven't seen any massive wave of trans women dominating."

US swimmer Erica Sullivan, who competed against Thomas at the college event, said Thomas deserved "to be celebrated for her hard-won success".

Sullivan said she was "proud" to be one of more than 300 college, Team USA and Olympic swimmers who signed an open letter in support of Thomas and all transgender and non-binary swimmers.

But other athletes and organisations have raised concerns about trans inclusion.

Some of Thomas' team-mates and their parents wrote anonymous letters supporting her right to transition, but added it was unfair for her to compete as a woman.

"You can't go halfway and say you support trans women and trans people but only to a certain point," said Thomas.

"If you support trans women as women and they met all the NCAA requirements then I don't think you can say something like that.

"I knew there would be scrutiny against me if I compete as a woman. But I also don't need anybody's permission to be myself and do the sport that I love."

Asked whether she had ambitions to compete at the US Olympic trials in June 2024, Thomas said: "It's been a goal of mine to swim at an Olympic trials for very long time and I would love to see that through."

What do the scientists say?'

The heart of the debate on whether transgender women athletes should compete in women's sport involves the complex balance of inclusion, sporting fairness and safety - essentially, whether trans women can compete in female categories without giving them an unfair advantage or presenting a threat of injury to competitors.

Trans women have to adhere to a number of rules to compete in specific sports, including in many cases lowering their testosterone levels to a certain amount, for a set period of time, before competing.

There are concerns, however, that athletes retain an advantage from going through male puberty that is not addressed by lowering testosterone.

Two current elite female runners told BBC Sport earlier this month that transgender women should compete in an "open category" in order to "protect women's sport", arguing that transgender competitors in the female sport category were taking away opportunities for women.

They added transgender athletes were welcome in elite sport and an open category would mean a "level playing field".

Former swimmer Sharron Davies has said "no rules can reverse the advantage of male puberty", a point backed by sports scientist Professor Ross Tucker who says: "When human males go through puberty the heart becomes larger, the lungs become larger, the body fat percentage goes down, and the skeleton changes.

"The collection of those things creates significant performance advantages."

Recent studies and reviews have also questioned the effectiveness of testosterone suppression.

However, there is limited research into what effect transitioning can have on an athlete - because there are so few transgender athletes, and even fewer in elite sport.

Joanna Harper, a scientist at Loughborough University and a trans athlete herself, says her research "suggests that there is a substantial performance loss with testosterone suppression".

Thomas swam for the Pennsylvanian men's team for three seasons before starting hormone replacement therapy in spring 2019.

She has since broken records for her university swimming team.

Thomas says depression affected her performance in her first two years at university, but after transitioning she was able to better focus on her swimming.

"There's a lot of factors that go into a race and how well you do and the biggest change for me is that I'm happy," she said.

"Sophomore [second] year I was miserable, so having that be lifted is incredibly relieving and allowed me to put my all into training and racing."

USA Swimming updated its policy for elite swimmers in February to allow transgender athletes to swim in elite events, alongside criteria that aim to reduce any unfair advantage, including testosterone tests for 36 months before competitions.

Thomas' experience has contributed to the growing debate surrounding the participation of transgender athletes in sport.

In April, British transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was stopped from competing in her first elite women's race by cycling's world governing body, the UCI.

Bridges, 21, came out as transgender in 2020 and began hormone therapy a year later as part of her gender dysphoria treatment.

In the Tokyo Olympics last summer, transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard made Games history by competing in the women's +87kg weightlifting.

Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to compete at a Games in a different gender category to the one in which they were born. But she failed to record a successful lift in the women's +87kg weightlifting.

BBC
 
The majority public opinion is clear on this one. Even if transwomen (pre op or post op) do eventually go on to compete in women’s sport, they will not be accepted as legitimate and any achievements or medals that they win on paper will not be taken seriously.

If there is someone who is trans then wins all of the Gold Medals and finishes 1st in every women’s race, most people will consider the 2nd place competitor (if they are a born woman) to be the true winner in these unfair playing conditions.
 
Last edited:
Swimming's world governing body has voted to effectively ban transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races.

FINA will explore establishing an "open" category for them in some events as part of its new policy.

The new policy was passed with a roughly 71% majority after it was put to the members of 152 national federations with voting rights who had gathered for the congress at the Puskas Arena.

It will require transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 in order to be able to compete in women's competitions.

A statement from FINA said that male-to-female transgender athletes will be eligible to compete only if "they can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later".

FINA President Husain Al-Musallam said: "We have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women's category at FINA competitions.

"FINA will always welcome every athlete. The creation of an open category will mean that everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level. This has not been done before, so FINA will need to lead the way. I want all athletes to feel included in being able to develop ideas during this process."

Transgender rights has become the subject of debate as sports seek to balance inclusivity while ensuring there is no unfair advantage.

The conversation around it intensified after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history after winning the women's 500-yard freestyle earlier this year.

It followed New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard last year becoming the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The new FINA policy also opens up eligibility to those who have "complete androgen insensitivity and therefore could not experience male puberty".

Athletes who have had "male puberty suppressed beginning at Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12, whichever is later, and they have since continuously maintained their testosterone levels in serum (or plasma) below 2.5 nmol/L." are also allowed to compete in women's races, FINA said.

It added that female-to-male transgender athletes (transgender men) are fully eligible to compete in men's swimming competitions.

Former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies tweeted her delight at the news.

She said: "I can't tell you how proud I am of my sport @fina & @fina_president for doing the science, asking the athletes/coaches and standing up for fair sport for females. Swimming will always welcome everyone no matter how you identify but fairness is the cornerstone of sport."

Back in May, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said that sport cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach to transgender inclusion.

Controversies over the participation of transgender athletes in female categories have hit the headlines in cycling, swimming, weightlifting and other sports over the past year.

Olympic cycling champion Katie Archibald criticised the global governing body in her sport, the UCI, last month over its transgender policies, with trans athlete Emily Bridges ultimately excluded from the British Omnium Championships.

Lord Coe, the president of World Athletics, said the integrity of women's sport was "fragile" if federations did not get this right.

There have been calls to create an open category which transgender athletes could enter.

Mr Bach said the IOC has and will continue to assist sports in coming to "science-based decisions".

He told a press conference in May: "There is no one-size-fits-all solution. I think we all agree that this is about creating a fair competition. On the grassroots level, sport has to be inclusive, everybody has to have the access to sport.

"When it comes to competition as sport, we have to ensure fair competition. That means that you have to find out sport by sport, even discipline by discipline, where there is maybe an unfair advantage."

SKY
 
Transgenders should have their own transgender competitions.

Men's sports and women's sports shouldn't be polluted.
 
sweep_shot said:
Transgenders should have their own transgender competitions.

Men's sports and women's sports shouldn't be polluted.
Click to expand...

Agree with the first paragraph but not the second.

That’s quite cruel language.
 
MenInG said:
Swimming's world governing body has voted to effectively ban transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races.

FINA will explore establishing an "open" category for them in some events as part of its new policy.

The new policy was passed with a roughly 71% majority after it was put to the members of 152 national federations with voting rights who had gathered for the congress at the Puskas Arena.

It will require transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 in order to be able to compete in women's competitions.

A statement from FINA said that male-to-female transgender athletes will be eligible to compete only if "they can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later".

FINA President Husain Al-Musallam said: "We have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women's category at FINA competitions.

"FINA will always welcome every athlete. The creation of an open category will mean that everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level. This has not been done before, so FINA will need to lead the way. I want all athletes to feel included in being able to develop ideas during this process."

Transgender rights has become the subject of debate as sports seek to balance inclusivity while ensuring there is no unfair advantage.

The conversation around it intensified after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history after winning the women's 500-yard freestyle earlier this year.

It followed New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard last year becoming the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The new FINA policy also opens up eligibility to those who have "complete androgen insensitivity and therefore could not experience male puberty".

Athletes who have had "male puberty suppressed beginning at Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12, whichever is later, and they have since continuously maintained their testosterone levels in serum (or plasma) below 2.5 nmol/L." are also allowed to compete in women's races, FINA said.

It added that female-to-male transgender athletes (transgender men) are fully eligible to compete in men's swimming competitions.

Former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies tweeted her delight at the news.

She said: "I can't tell you how proud I am of my sport @fina & @fina_president for doing the science, asking the athletes/coaches and standing up for fair sport for females. Swimming will always welcome everyone no matter how you identify but fairness is the cornerstone of sport."

Back in May, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said that sport cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach to transgender inclusion.

Controversies over the participation of transgender athletes in female categories have hit the headlines in cycling, swimming, weightlifting and other sports over the past year.

Olympic cycling champion Katie Archibald criticised the global governing body in her sport, the UCI, last month over its transgender policies, with trans athlete Emily Bridges ultimately excluded from the British Omnium Championships.

Lord Coe, the president of World Athletics, said the integrity of women's sport was "fragile" if federations did not get this right.

There have been calls to create an open category which transgender athletes could enter.

Mr Bach said the IOC has and will continue to assist sports in coming to "science-based decisions".

He told a press conference in May: "There is no one-size-fits-all solution. I think we all agree that this is about creating a fair competition. On the grassroots level, sport has to be inclusive, everybody has to have the access to sport.

"When it comes to competition as sport, we have to ensure fair competition. That means that you have to find out sport by sport, even discipline by discipline, where there is maybe an unfair advantage."

SKY
Click to expand...

I agree with all of the moves taken.
 
Great move by Swimming's world governing body.

Teach these liberals a lesson, just cos a women feels like a man (vice versa) doesn't mean the fraud will go unchecked and accepted because of a rainbow ideology.

Man up athletes. Don't try and change nature because of rainbow politics.
 
James said:
Agree with the first paragraph but not the second.

That’s quite cruel language.
Click to expand...

Problem as I see it is that transwomen who have flattened their testosterone to ciswomen levels are still likely to be taller, with more muscle definition and higher bone density. So they still have biological advantages over ciswomen athletes.
 
Can there be a third category? If they don’t identify as male or female and they themselves want gender pronouns such as “they/them” why should they compete with him/her?
 
Stewie said:
Can there be a third category? If they don’t identify as male or female and they themselves want gender pronouns such as “they/them” why should they compete with him/her?
Click to expand...

An additional “open” category is being created.
 
World Athletics president Lord Coe has hinted the sport could follow swimming in banning transgender women from elite female competitions, insisting "fairness is non-negotiable".

Swimming's world governing body Fina voted on Sunday to stop trans athletes from competing in women's elite races if they have gone through any part of the process of male puberty.

The landmark decision set swimming apart from almost all other Olympic sports, with most using testosterone limits as a basis for inclusion.

But Lord Coe has now revealed that World Athletics is set to discuss adopting a new eligibility policy, and welcomed Fina's move.

"We see an international federation asserting its primacy in setting rules, regulations and policies that are in the best interest of its sport," he told BBC Sport.

"This is as it should be. We have always believed that biology trumps gender and we will continue to review our regulations in line with this. We will follow the science.

"We continue to study, research and contribute to the growing body of evidence that testosterone is a key determinant in performance, and have scheduled a discussion on our regulations with our council at the end of the year."

BBC
 
James said:
An additional “open” category is being created.
Click to expand...

WELL GOOD.. about damn time. We need open gender restrooms and toilets in the world too which can only be used by people who identify and gender fluid/trans/non cis/whatever the heck next term they come up with.

I am sick of reading about this crap.
 
Recently a transgender boxer male who felt like a “female inside” him and was moved into a female boxing competition, beat the pulp out of his opponent who was a fully heterosexual female.

This transgender looked quite muscular and taller yet an ugly looking male.

From that moment on, I felt that transgenders should have their own category. It’s just not fair either for them or their opponents.
 
Transgenders are mad people. They have a mental sickness. They deserve help and treatment, not facilitations of their delusions under the guise of western concept of freedom.

Unfortunately it is too late now.
 
Transgender players have been banned from women's internationals while rugby league's governing body does further research on its inclusion policy.

International Rugby League (IRL) said it wanted to "balance the individual's right to participate... against perceived risk to other participants".

The move comes as a number of sports are considering transgender inclusion.

Transgender swimmers were on Sunday banned from women's elite races if they have gone through male puberty.

World Athletics president Lord Coe hinted to the BBC that the sport could follow swimming's example, saying it is set to discuss adopting a new eligibility policy and that "fairness is non-negotiable".

The IRL said it had considered "relevant developments in world sport" in coming to its decision to ban "male-to-female (transwomen) players" until it had completed research on its final inclusion policy.

The ban will apply to the World Cup in England in October, which involves teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cook Islands, England, France, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

"It is the IRL's responsibility to balance the individual's right to participate - a long-standing principle of rugby league and at its heart from the day it was established - against perceived risk to other participants, and to ensure all are given a fair hearing," the organisation said.

"The IRL will continue to work towards developing a set of criteria, based on best possible evidence, which fairly balance the individual's right to play with the safety of all participants," its statement added.

However the decision has drawn criticism from advocates of transgender rights.

"Blanket bans on women who are trans playing against other women risks violating international human rights principles of non-discrimination, which require such policies to start from a place of inclusion," said Anna Brown, CEO of Equality Australia.

"Fina (swimming's world governing body) failed to meet that standard, and the rugby league's ban also fails to do so, despite it being temporary."

A number of sports have been considering their inclusion policies in recent months, especially after the International Olympic Committee ruled earlier this year that participation policies governing transgender athletes should be determined by each sport - depending on its particular characteristics.

The IRL said it would work with the nations competing at the women's World Cup to obtain data in order to inform a transgender policy in 2023.

Rugby League World Cup 2021 chief executive Jon Dutton said he welcomed the "clarity" the IRL decision had provided to competing nations before selecting their squads for the tournament.

"It is important the IRL carefully considers its position on this subject and the RLWC understands the need for further research," he added.

Transgender women have already been banned from playing at elite level by rugby union's governing body World Rugby.

In guidelines published on its website, World Rugby said transgender women could not play women's rugby "because of the size, force and power-producing advantages conferred by testosterone during puberty and adolescence, and the resultant player welfare risks this creates".

Domestically, the Rugby Football Union's policy in England does allow trans women to play, under certain testosterone-based conditions.

The Rugby Football League, the governing body for professional rugby league in England, is holding its own review on transgender inclusion which is "nearing completion", the body said.

Critics of transgender athletes' participation in some women's sports argue they can have a disproportionate advantage to their peers based on their birth biology. However, the claim is strongly disputed by many transgender athletes and their supporters.

Swimming's recent move inflamed the controversy. Transgender rights groups criticised the decision, while US women's footballer Megan Rapinoe, one of the most influential voices in sport, said it was "disgusting".

"Show me the evidence that trans women are taking everyone's scholarships, are dominating in every sport, are winning every title. I'm sorry, it's just not happening," Rapinoe told Time magazine.

"I have confidence that we can figure it out. But we can't start at the opposite. That is cruel. And frankly, it's just disgusting. We're putting everything through 'God forbid a trans person be successful in sports.' Get a grip on reality and take a step back."

The IRL is the global governing body for the sport and its role is to develop, promote and administer rugby league. It has 19 full members, 16 affiliate members and 19 observer members.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/61875651
 
Seems like this is really gathering pace now.

Transwomen who wish to pursue careers as professional sportspeople are going to have to get used to these new rulings.
 
In my opinion you compete in the event that is for the gender that you were born.
 
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has told the heads of UK sporting bodies that "elite and competitive women's sport must be reserved for people born of the female sex".

Dorries met representatives from 15 sports including football, cricket, rugby, tennis and athletics plus UK Sport and Sport England bosses.

Bbc
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The RFU is recommending a ban on transgender women playing female rugby after a review of its gender participation policy. <a href="https://t.co/Y5Ka3GSZk6">pic.twitter.com/Y5Ka3GSZk6</a></p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1550505723469111297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The Rugby Football League (RFL) and Rugby Football Union (RFU) have banned transgender women from competing in female-only forms of their games.
 
World Triathlon has approved a new policy that will allow transgender athletes to continue competing in female categories.

However, they must demonstrate lower concentrations of testosterone continuously for at least two years and cannot have competed as a male in any sporting competition in the past four years.

The new regulations, which come into effect in September, do not mention transgender athletes in male events.

The world governing body's policy differs from the stance taken by British Triathlon, which established a new 'open' category for transgender athletes in July and which comes into effect next year.

British Triathlon changes mean, for athletes over the age of 12, competitive women's events will be reserved "for those who are female sex at birth".

However, the organisation told BBC Sport it would be speaking with World Triathlon "to fully understand the implications of the World Triathlon policy at international level".

A spokesperson added: "This dialogue will include reference to athletes competing abroad and at UK hosted events.

"The British Triathlon transgender policy still stands and we have begun working on guidance for event organisers, clubs, officials and coaches, to share this autumn, before the policy comes into effect from 1 January 2023.

"This guidance will support the implementation of this policy and serve to ensure that our sport continues to develop in being welcoming, supportive and inclusive for everyone."

World Triathlon president Marisol Casado said his organisation's new policy, which affects elite and age-group competitions, was "prioritising the fairness principle but showing inclusiveness".

World Triathlon said it consulted widely, including "multiple experts in the field and the transgender community".

BBC
 
MenInG said:
It will require transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 in order to be able to compete in women's competitions.

A statement from FINA said that male-to-female transgender athletes will be eligible to compete only if "they can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later".

SKY
Click to expand...

Don't know how else to put it other than it being equally a pathetic decision. This is encouragement to transition before 12, when they are really young and don't have sense of gender. This sounds absolutely terrible.

This whole non-binary menace is getting out of hand. What else one could expect when they go away from the natural form of relationships that is of a man and woman.
 
World Athletics: New transgender rules 'would leave women at serious disadvantage', says Amelia Strickler

British shot putter Amelia Strickler says plans by World Athletics to allow transgender women to continue to compete in female international track and field events "would leave women at a serious disadvantage".

World Athletics has said its "preferred option" was to tighten the sport's eligibility rules, but still use testosterone limits as the basis for inclusion.

A policy document suggesting the amendments has been sent to World Athletics' member federations as part of a consultation process before a vote in March.

It comes despite other sports banning transgender women from participating in elite female competition, if they have gone through any part of the process of male puberty, amid concerns they have an unfair advantage.

"The effects of the hormones and hormone replacements are not going to take away that male puberty advantage and it would leave us women at a serious disadvantage," Strickler, who finished sixth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Strickler, 29, who is yet to compete against a transgender athlete at elite level, claimed: "It is happening at grassroots level in Parkruns and club-level athletics. It is a ripple effect, one person taking a woman's place and those results, it all matters to people...this will be in elite athletics sooner than we think."

In June 2022, World Athletics president Lord Coe welcomed the move by Fina - swimming's world governing body - to stop trans athletes from competing in women's elite races if they had gone through any part of the process of male puberty, insisting "fairness is non-negotiable".

Fina's decision followed a report by a taskforce of leading figures from the world of medicine, law and sport which said that going through male puberty meant trans women retained a "relative performance advantage over biological females", even after medication to reduce testosterone.

Fina also aimed to establish an 'open' category at competitions for swimmers whose gender identity is different than their sex recorded at birth.

While such moves have been praised for protecting female sport, some critics have said these rules are discriminatory.

Olympic diving champion Tom Daley said he was "furious" at Fina's approach, saying: "Anyone that's told that they can't compete or can't do something they love just because of who they are, it's not on."

At the time, Coe hinted his sport could follow suit as he added: "We have always believed that biology trumps gender and we will continue to review our regulations in line with this."

Asked if she would accept the outcome of the vote to be held in March, Strickler said: "Do I have a choice? The document was shocking to me after Seb Coe showed a lot of support for Fina, who decided to do an open and female category in swimming.

"I was quite shocked they were going to allow it to continue, even if they are making the rules more strict.

"It is just something that me, my peers and my colleagues - we all work hard day in, day out - we don't want to see this happen.

"I hope people will just see an open category is still fair and inclusive but we do have to protect female sport and we have to make sure women are not at such a disadvantage."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/64396740
 
UK Athletics wants open category for male and transgender athletes

UK Athletics wants a change in legislation to ensure the women's category is lawfully reserved for competitors who are recorded female at birth.

The governing body says all transgender athletes should be allowed to compete with men in an open category.

Chair Ian Beattie said the governing body wanted athletics to be a "welcoming environment for all", but added it had a responsibility to "ensure fairness" in women's competition.

However, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it was "disappointed" UKA chose to publicise "inaccurate advice" and questioned its interpretation of the Equality Act 2010.

UKA disagrees with the use of testosterone suppression for transgender women, saying there is "currently no scientifically robust, independent research showing that all male performance advantage is eliminated".

UKA added it has seen "no evidence that it is safe for transgender women to reduce their hormonal levels by testosterone suppression", and that there is "insufficient research to understand the effects on transgender women if such testosterone suppression is carried out suddenly".

Therefore it would instead like to reserve the female category for those who were recorded female at birth and have not undergone transition.

UKA does not believe the 'sporting exemption' introduced in the Equality Act 2010 allows them to lawfully exclude transgender women in possession of a Gender Recognition Certificate from competing.

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/64514819
 
Firebat said:
UK Athletics wants open category for male and transgender athletes

UK Athletics wants a change in legislation to ensure the women's category is lawfully reserved for competitors who are recorded female at birth.

The governing body says all transgender athletes should be allowed to compete with men in an open category.

Chair Ian Beattie said the governing body wanted athletics to be a "welcoming environment for all", but added it had a responsibility to "ensure fairness" in women's competition.

However, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it was "disappointed" UKA chose to publicise "inaccurate advice" and questioned its interpretation of the Equality Act 2010.

UKA disagrees with the use of testosterone suppression for transgender women, saying there is "currently no scientifically robust, independent research showing that all male performance advantage is eliminated".

UKA added it has seen "no evidence that it is safe for transgender women to reduce their hormonal levels by testosterone suppression", and that there is "insufficient research to understand the effects on transgender women if such testosterone suppression is carried out suddenly".

Therefore it would instead like to reserve the female category for those who were recorded female at birth and have not undergone transition.

UKA does not believe the 'sporting exemption' introduced in the Equality Act 2010 allows them to lawfully exclude transgender women in possession of a Gender Recognition Certificate from competing.

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/64514819
Click to expand...

Transgenders should have their own competitions.

It is unfair for a biological woman to compete against a biological man.
 
Men's sports should become open category. Women, Trans, Men and everything inbetween should be able to compete in that category.

Women's sports should remain reserved for biological women only.

This way , everybody gets a place to compete without undue advantages.
 
World Athletics has banned transgender women from competing in the female category at international events.

The governing body's president, Lord Coe, said no transgender athlete who had gone through male puberty would be permitted to compete in female world ranking competitions from 31 March.

A working group will be set up to conduct further research into the transgender eligibility guidelines.

"We're not saying no forever," he said.

Under previous rules, World Athletics required transgender women to reduce their amount of blood testosterone to a maximum of 5nmol/L, and stay under this threshold continuously for a period of 12 months before competing in the female category.

Lord Coe added the decision was "guided by the overarching principle which is to protect the female category".

He noted that there are currently no transgender athletes competing internationally in the sport.

The World Athletics Council also voted to reduce the amount of blood testosterone permitted for athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), such as South Africa's Caster Semenya.

DSD athletes will be required to reduce their blood testosterone level to below 2.5 nanomoles per litre, down from five, and must remain under this threshold for two years in order to compete internationally in the female category in any track and field event.

Under previous regulations, DSD athletes were only restricted in events ranging from 400m to a mile.

Interim provisions will be introduced for DSD athletes already competing in previously unrestricted events, requiring them to suppress their testosterone levels below 2.5nmol/L for a minimum of six months before they are allowed to compete again.

"Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations," said Lord Coe.

"We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount."

The Council agreed to set up a working group for 12 months to "further consider the issue of transgender inclusion".

An independent chair will lead the group, while it will also include up to three council members, two athletes from the Athletes' Commission, a transgender athlete, three representatives of World Athletics' member federations and representatives of the World Athletics health and science department.

It will consult specifically with transgender athletes, as well as review and commission research and put forward recommendations to the Council.

'Little support' for previous preference - World Athletics

As recently as January, World Athletics said its "preferred option" was to continue to allow transgender women to compete in the female category but to tighten the sport's eligibility rules, still using testosterone limits as the basis for inclusion.

It had proposed that transgender women would have to reduce their blood testosterone level to below 2.5nmol/L for two years, bringing it in line with amendments made last year by the UCI, cycling's world governing body.

However, World Athletics said there was "little support" for this option when it was presented to stakeholders, who included member federations, athletes, coaches, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as representative transgender and human rights groups.

Many argue that transgender women should not compete in elite women's sport because of any advantages they may retain - but others argue that sport should be more inclusive.

The debate centres on the balance of inclusion, sporting fairness and safety in women's sport - essentially, whether transgender women can compete in female categories without an unfair advantage.

The IOC's framework on transgender athletes - released in November 2021 - states that there should be no assumption that a transgender athlete automatically has an unfair advantage in female sporting events, and places responsibility on individual federations to determine eligibility criteria in their sport.

In February, UK Athletics said it wanted a change in legislation to ensure the women's category is lawfully reserved for competitors who are recorded female at birth.

The governing body said all transgender athletes should be allowed to compete with men in an open category to "ensure fairness" in women's competition.

What are the rules in other sports?

In June 2022, Lord Coe welcomed the move by Fina - swimming's world governing body - to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races if they had gone through any part of the process of male puberty, insisting "fairness is non-negotiable".

Fina's decision followed a report by a taskforce of leading figures from the world of medicine, law and sport that said going through male puberty meant transgender women retained a "relative performance advantage over biological females", even after medication to reduce testosterone.

Fina also aimed to establish an 'open' category at competitions, for swimmers whose gender identity is different than their sex observed at birth.

In 2022, British Triathlon become the first British sporting body to establish a new 'open' category in which transgender athletes can compete.

The Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union also banned transgender women from competing in female-only forms of their games.

It followed World Rugby becoming the first international sports federation to say transgender women cannot compete at the elite and international level of the women's game in 2020.

Some critics have said that these rules are discriminatory.

Olympic diving champion Tom Daley said he was "furious" at Fina's decision to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's elite events, saying: "Anyone that's told that they can't compete or can't do something they love just because of who they are, it's not on."

BBC
 
There is an interesting trend here.

All these so called "transgenders" tend towards being moved into the female classification.

Why not a transgender in a female jail, asks to be identified as a male and be moved into the male section of the prison, for example?
 
UK Athletics has banned transgender women from competing in the female category in its competitions and events in the United Kingdom.

It comes after #WorldAthletics announced a ban at international level.
 
US Supreme Court rules in favour of transgender track runner
The decision comes amid a proliferation of anti-trans rights bills promoted by Republican lawmakers across the country.

The United States Supreme Court on Thursday has allowed a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia to continue competing on the girls’ sports teams at her middle school while a lawsuit over a state ban continues.

A majority of the justices refused to disturb an appeals court order that made it possible for the girl, Becky Pepper-Jackson, to continue playing on her school’s track and cross-country teams, where she regularly finishes near the back of the pack.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued a dissent, indicating they would have allowed West Virginia to enforce its law against Pepper-Jackson.

Pepper-Jackson is in the middle of the outdoor track season. She had filed a lawsuit challenging the law, the Save Women’s Sports Act, which West Virginia lawmakers adopted in 2021.

West Virginia is among 20 states that ban transgender athletes from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity, according to Movement Advancement Project, a pro-LGBTQ rights think-tank.

A federal appeals court had allowed her to compete while she appealed a lower court ruling that upheld the West Virginia law.

...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023...rules-in-favour-of-transgender-track-athletes
 
Swimming World Cup 2023: Transgender swimmers to compete in new open category in Berlin

World Aquatics will debut a new open category for transgender athletes at this year's Swimming World Cup event in Berlin.

Last year, the world governing body voted to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races.

The open category will feature 50m and 100m races across all strokes.

"This highlights [our] unwavering commitment to inclusivity, welcoming swimmers of all sex and gender identities," said World Aquatics.

Last year World Aquatics said the open category would be for swimmers whose gender identity is different than their birth sex.

Describing the creation of the open category in Berlin as a "pioneering pilot project", World Aquatics said more events could be added.

The governing body said detailed entry requirements and entry times would be made available "soon".

"To be eligible, swimmers need an affiliation with a national federation and will be given the flexibility to participate individually, for their club, team or as national federation members," it added.

The Berlin competition, which takes place on 6-8 October, is the first of three World Cup meetings this year.

They are a key part of the swimming calendar, coming shortly after the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka and before the same event in Doha in January.

World Aquatics, which was formerly known as Fina, said the open category placed emphasis on "gaining further experience for future development and celebrating diversity".

German Swimming Federation's vice president Kai Morgenroth added the hosts were "proud" to hold an event where swimmers can "compete without barriers".

"Berlin is Germany's hub for diversity and inclusion and therefore the perfect location for such a progressive project," he said.

www.bbc.co.uk

World Cup to debut open category for trans swimmers

World Aquatics will debut a new open category for transgender athletes at this year's Swimming World Cup event in Berlin.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 

Transgender women banned from international women's cricket​

Transgender women have been banned from international women's cricket, it has been announced.

The International Cricket Council said its "priority was to protect the integrity of the international women's game and the safety of players".

It also said the new policy was based on fairness and inclusion.

It means any male-to-female participants who have been through any form of male puberty will not be eligible to take part in the international women's game regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken.

The new gender eligibility regulations were formed after a nine-month consultation, with the final decision taken by the ICC board, which features England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Richard Thompson.

The regulations will be reviewed within two years.

ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said: "The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and is founded in science and aligned with the core principles developed during the review.

"Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women's game and the safety of players."

The rules only relate to international women's cricket with gender eligibility domestically left for each national cricket governing body to determine.

The current England and Wales Cricket Board position is that transgender women "should be accepted in the gender with which they identify".

But there is a "disparity policy" which can be applied when safety concerns are raised about a difference in speed, strength or skill between players.

Its review on transgender policy will consider the new international ban on transgender women from women's competitions

An ECB spokesperson told Sky News: "We continue to review our transgender policy, considering inclusivity, safety and fairness, and will consider these new ICC regulations as part of this work."

The new international cricket policy reflects World Athletics' decision in March to bar competitors who have gone through male puberty from female world ranking events.

Source: Sky News
 
Australian-born transgender cricketer Danielle McGahey brings end to her international career after ICC ruling

Transgender cricketer Danielle McGahey has brought an end to her international career after the game's governing body said any player who had been through male puberty would not be able to compete in the women's game at the elite level.

The International Cricket Council (ICC)'s decision, made at a board meeting on Tuesday, follows similar rulings over the last couple of years by the global chiefs of swimming, rugby union, cycling and athletics.

The ICC said in a statement: "The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and is founded in science and aligned with the core principles developed during the review.

"Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women's game and the safety of players."

Transgender advocacy groups say excluding trans athletes amounts to discrimination.

Critics of transgender inclusion in women's sport say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge musculo-skeletal advantage that transition does not mitigate.

The ICC said the ruling, which followed a nine-month consultation process and applies only to international cricket, would be reviewed after two years.

Australian-born McGahey, 29, who played grade cricket with men in Melbourne before moving to Canada in February 2020, said the campaign for transgender inclusion in women's sport would continue.

McGahey took to Instagram after the ICC's new guidelines for gender eligibility ended her international career.

"Following the ICC's decision this morning, it is with a very heavy heart that I must say that my international cricketing career is over," she wrote.

"I promise I will not stop fighting for equality for us in our sport, we deserve the right to play cricket at the highest level, we are not a threat to the integrity or safety of the sport. Never stop fighting!"

McGahey became the first transgender player to take part in an official international match when she played in all six of Canada's matches during the Women's T20 World Cup Americas region qualifiers.

McGahey made 118 runs at 19.67 with a top score of 48 as Canada missed out on qualification after finishing second in the four-team event.
​
SOURCE: SKY SPORTS
 
Allowing transgender athletes to compete against the female gender is a complex debate. It may come down to fairness and equality when it comes to sports all around the world.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Allowing transgender athletes to compete against the female gender is a complex debate. It may come down to fairness and equality when it comes to sports all around the world.
Click to expand...
Why is it complex?

It should be a straightforward and easy no

But we are living in this warped Liberal world where any old nonsense goes in support of supposed equality
 
BouncerGuy said:
Allowing transgender athletes to compete against the female gender is a complex debate. It may come down to fairness and equality when it comes to sports all around the world.
Click to expand...
Why complex? Seriously this thing is getting out if control. It is so unfair to the female athletes as they are competing with a male almost. Not fair at all. Let them have transgender only games - fair to everybody..
 
deltexas said:
Why complex? Seriously this thing is getting out if control. It is so unfair to the female athletes as they are competing with a male almost. Not fair at all. Let them have transgender only games - fair to everybody..
Click to expand...
Yep. That is why I said that it is all about fairness and equality. Transgender people are stronger in terms of their physical strength than women. So I think that transgenders can have their own games.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Yep. That is why I said that it is all about fairness and equality. Transgender people are stronger in terms of their physical strength than women. So I think that transgenders can have their own games.
Click to expand...
They won't have their own games simply because the interest in it will be almost non-existent

So, what they'll do is continue to push and push and eventually the way the liberalism is spreading they'll get their way and it will basically destroy women's sport
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Imagine a peak Shoaib Akhtar transitioning and bowling at female teams -the opposing teams would worry about not only losing matches but losing their lives.
 

USA Powerlifting applauds appeals court decision after transgender woman claimed discrimination​

A Minnesota appeals court struck down a previous ruling that claimed the USA Powerlifting organization violated a transgender woman's rights by prohibiting the individual from joining the women's team.

JayCee Cooper, a transgender woman, sued the organization in 2021 after being rejected from the women's team in 2018. In the complaint, Cooper alleged the organization violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which protects discrimination against people "having or being perceived as having a self-image or identity not traditionally associated with one's biological maleness or femaleness."

A district court ruled last year that the organization discriminated against Cooper, then they appealed the decision. Cooper then cross-appealed, and on Monday, the Minnesota Court of Appeals decided the athletic league did not discriminate against the individual.

"USA Powerlifting did not exclude JayCee Cooper because of her gender identity," the organization's lead attorney Ansis V. Viksnins told Fox News Digital in a statement. "USA Powerlifting excluded her from competing in the women’s division because of her physiology: she enjoys strength advantages over other women because she went through puberty as a man."

"Maintaining separate categories based on sex, age, and weight is necessary so that similarly situated athletes have fair opportunities of success," the statement continued. "Scientific studies show that athletes who have gone through male puberty enjoy a large strength advantage over athletes who go through puberty as a female. The scientific studies also show that suppressing testosterone only reduces the strength advantage by a very minimal amount. Because powerlifting is a strength sport, the strength differences between competitors are significant. Excluding male to female transgender powerlifters from the women’s division is necessary to maintain fairness and integrity in the sport."

Now, the case could continue being litigated in a lower court, or Cooper could raise it to the Supreme Court. Cooper's attorney did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

According to Judge Matthew Johnson's lengthy opinion, the court concluded "that there are no genuine issues of material fact on Cooper’s claim of aiding and abetting discrimination and, accordingly, affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment on that claim."

Cooper participated in men’s sports before transitioning in her 20s and changing her name sometime between 2015 and 2016 when she was 28 years old, the court documents said. Cooper became a member of USA Powerlifting in 2018.

Cooper asked the organization for permission to have an exemption to take spironolactone, a substance prescribed for gender dysphoria. After a couple of weeks of taking the prescription, estrogen is typically taken as part of the hormone transition to female.

"USAPL has satisfied its burden to produce evidence of a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason. Cooper’s female gender identity co-exists with her male physiology," the opinion stated.

The appeals decision comes as transgender people in sports has become a hot button issue. Last week, 16 current and former female athletes filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, saying the organization’s transgender policy violates Title IX.

Source: FOX
 

NAIA essentially bans transgender athletes from women's sports​

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the governing body for mostly small colleges, announced a policy Monday that all but bans transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.

The NAIA Council of Presidents approved the policy in a 20-0 vote. The NAIA, which oversees some 83,000 athletes at schools across the country, is believed to be the first college sports organization to take such a step.

According to the transgender participation policy, all athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports but only athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth is female and who have not begun hormone therapy will be allowed to participate in women's sports.

A student who has begun hormone therapy may participate in activities such as workouts, practices and team activities, but not in interscholastic competition.

"With the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, the NAIA created separate categories for male and female participants," the NAIA said. "Each NAIA sport includes some combination of strength, speed and stamina, providing competitive advantages for male student-athletes. As a result, the NAIA policy for transgender student-athletes applies to all sports except for competitive cheer and competitive dance, which are open to all students."

There is no known number of transgender athletes at the high school and college levels, although it is believed to be small. The topic has nonetheless become a hot-button issue among conservative groups and others who believe transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete on girls' and women's sports teams.

"The NAIA understands that legal action being taken to challenge the policy is a possibility, but this policy is one our membership and board felt like was the right decision," the NAIA said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Shiwali Patel, senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center, said her organization was outraged by the NAIA policy.

"This is unacceptable and blatant discrimination that not only harms trans, nonbinary and intersex individuals, but limits the potential of all athletes," Patel said in a statement. "It's important to recognize that these discriminatory policies don't enhance fairness in competition. Instead, they send a message of exclusion and reinforce dangerous stereotypes that harm all women."

Last month, more than a dozen current and former college athletes filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA, accusing the sports governing body for more than 500,000 athletes of violating their rights by allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports.

Hours after the NAIA announcement, the NCAA released a statement: "College sports are the premier stage for women's sports in America and the NCAA will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women's sports and ensure fair competition for all student-athletes in all NCAA championships."

At least 24 states have laws barring transgender women and girls from competing in certain women's or girls sports competitions.

The Biden administration originally planned to release a new federal Title IX rule -- the law forbids discrimination based on sex in education -- addressing campus sexual assault and transgender athletes. But earlier this year, the department decided to split them into separate rules, and the athletics rule now remains in limbo even as the sexual assault policy moves forward.

Patel said the NAIA ban, along with the state laws, "emphasizes the urgency in having clear Title IX rules that expressly prohibit this type of sex-based discrimination, and ensure the rights of all students, including transgender, nonbinary, and intersex athletes, are safeguarded. Trans athletes deserve a chance to play."

The NCAA has had a policy for transgender athlete participation in place since 2010, which called for one year of testosterone suppression treatment and documented testosterone levels submitted before championship competitions. In 2022, the NCAA revised its policies on transgender athlete participation in an attempt to align with national sport governing bodies, following the lead of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

The three-phase implementation of the policy included a continuation of the 2010 policy, requiring transgender women to be on hormone replacement therapy for at least one year, plus the submission of a hormone-level test before the start of the regular season and the start of championship events.

The third phase adds national and international sport governing body standards to the NCAA's policy and is scheduled to be implemented for the 2024-25 school year on Aug. 1.

There are some 15.3 million public high school students in the United States, and a 2019 study by the CDC estimated 1.8% of them -- about 275,000 -- are transgender. The number of athletes within that group is much smaller; a 2017 survey by Human Rights Campaign suggested under 15% of all transgender boys and transgender girls play sports.

The number of NAIA transgender athletes would be far smaller.

Source: ESPN
 
Donald Trump takes clear stance on transgender athlete participation in women's sports in RNC speech

Former President Donald Trump formally accepted the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday night, the final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. During his more than 90-minute speech, Trump addressed several policy issues, including a hot-button topic for many Americans.

"We will not have men playing in women’s sports, that will end immediately," Trump said, drawing a loud round of applause from the crowd.

The topic of a ban on transgender athletes participating in women’s and girl’s sports has been one of the more hotly debated issues in American politics over the years.

In April, the Biden administration made major changes to Title IX in the unveiling of new rules aimed at safeguarding LGBTQ+ students and changing the ways in which sexual harassment and assault claims are adjudicated on campus.

But noticeably missing from those changes was any policy that would prevent schools from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes competing against women.

As it stands, at least 24 states have laws barring transgender women and girls from competing in certain women’s or girls sports competitions.

Nassau County, New York, Executive Bruce Blakeman was the latest to enact a county law that would ban biological males from competing in women’s sporting events at county-run parks and facilities – a law that was immediately met with a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Former NCAA Division 1 swimmer Riley Gaines spoke to Fox News Digital outside the RNC this week to condemn the actions taken by Democrats with regard to safeguarding women’s sports.

"The Democratic Party is the farthest thing from being the party of or for women. They can't even define what a woman is," she said. "So how in the world can you claim to defend what you can't define? Why I'm here is to merely share the simple message that men and women are different, but it's really broader than just the sports angle."

According to the Associated Press, Trump has vowed to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports, adding that if elected, he would ask Congress to pass a bill establishing that there are "only two genders" as determined by birth.

SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/dona...thlete-participation-womens-sports-rnc-speech
 
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif becomes target of Olympics gender row

lgerian boxer Imane Khelif’s 46-second victory at the Paris Olympics has ignited a heated debate over gender eligibility rules with global public figures and sporting bodies weighing in.

Italian boxer Angela Carini abandoned the match against Khelif on Thursday, walking away from the contest to her corner – an extremely rare scene in Olympic boxing.

Carini did not shake Khelif’s hand after the referee formally raised it. She cried in the ring, sinking to her knees. Minutes later, still-tearful, Carini said she quit because of the pain from opening punches.

“I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough’ because I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to. I couldn’t finish the match,” Carini said.

Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test. Her participation in the Paris Olympics has become a divisive issue.

Author JK Rowling referred to her as a “male”, accusing her of “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered”.

The writer has incurred the wrath of human rights activists in recent years over her stance, often in relation to transgender issues, that biological sex is immutable.

On Truth Social, United States presidential candidate Donald Trump declared in capital letters, “I will keep men out of women’s sports” while his vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance, argued that “Kamala Harris’s ideas about gender” have led “to a grown man pummelling a woman in a boxing match”.

Reem Alsalem, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, wrote on X that Carini “and other female athletes should not have been exposed to this physical and psychological violence based on their sex”.

Algerian officials and others sympathised with Khelif as she was targeted online.

Algeria’s Olympic Committee (COA) condemned what it called “malicious and unethical attacks directed against our distinguished athlete, Imane Khelif, by certain foreign media”.

Nadia Whittome, a British politician, posted on X: “Imane Khelif was assigned female at birth. She’s spoken about being initially banned from boxing by her dad who said it wasn’t for girls. The attacks on her show that transphobia doesn’t only hurt trans people, but also other women who don’t fit conventional ideas of femininity.”

‘Misleading information’

After years of competing in amateur tournaments, Khelif is suddenly bring scrutinised for her presence in Paris along with Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan.

Lin won IBA world championships in 2018 and 2022, but the governing body withdrew her bronze medal last year because it said she failed to meet unspecified eligibility requirements in a biochemical test.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) determined that both athletes are eligible to compete in the 2024 Paris Games and released a statement saying that “as with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.”

“We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024,” the statement said, adding that the athletes were victims of a “sudden and arbitrary” decision by the IBA.

Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te gave the 28-year-old Lin his public backing, saying on Facebook, “We should stand united and cheer for her.”

Carini said she was not making a political statement or refusing to fight Khelif.

Later, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Carini, consoling the boxer in a photo shared on Meloni’s Instagram page.

“I know you won’t give up, Angela,” Meloni wrote, “and I know one day you will win what you deserve with effort and sweat. In a competition that is finally equal.”

Khelif was given a huge roar when she came into the North Paris Arena, partly from members of the large Algerian diaspora in the French capital.

Khelif stopped only briefly to talk to reporters afterwards, saying: “It’s always satisfying to win in such an important competition, but I remain focused on my goal of a medal.”

SOURCE: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024...elif-becomes-target-of-gender-row-at-olympics
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

FearlessRoar
Paris Olympics (2024) - Discussion Thread
10 11 12
Replies
953
Views
15K
Ball Blazer
Ball Blazer
KingKhanWC
IOC faces calls for investigation into inclusion of child rapist at Olympics
Replies
23
Views
656
Champ_Pal
C
FearlessRoar
France to host 2030 Winter Olympics & Paralympics
Replies
0
Views
376
FearlessRoar
FearlessRoar
FearlessRoar
  • Poll Poll
PCB to introduce Champions events in 2024-25 domestic season
2
Replies
84
Views
4K
m.shah
m.shah
MenInG
Title IX changes by the Biden Administration: Has the conformation to LGBTQ++ rights gone OTT in USA?
Replies
14
Views
881
Champ_Pal
C
Back
Top