The president of the World Athletics Federation, Sebastian Coe, expressed concern that women’s sports could be undermined by the participation of transgender athletes, citing as his main argument the view that there is «distortion» of fairness.
«The integrity of women’s sports is very fragile unless we take matters into our own hands and face reality—and its future,» Ko said in an interview with *The Times*.
The global sports legend also said that, beyond the public debates and ethical issues raised by the presence of transgender athletes in competitions—issues that go beyond sports— gender cannot take precedence over biology.
«We really need to trust science as much as possible. There’s no doubt that testosterone levels are the key determinant of performance,» Ko added.
According to track and field regulations, a transgender athlete must prove that she has very low testosterone levels in the year leading up to the competition in which she wishes to participate, by regularly submitting medical test results throughout those twelve months.
Koe’s remarks were not made at a random moment. A few days ago, 22-year-old Lia Thomas, an American transgender swimmer, competed in the NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
Born male, he became the first transgender swimmer to win a college title by taking first place in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:33.24, more than a second and a half ahead of the runner-up, Emma Wayant, who clocked 4:34.99.
Thomas’s female teammates said months ago that they felt extremely uncomfortable about having to «share» the locker room with her… «She still has male body parts and is still attracted to women. Although she sometimes covers herself with a towel when changing clothes, a large part of her body remains exposed. We feel uncomfortable in our locker room,» said one of them.
«They told us we couldn’t remove Lia from the women’s locker room and that there was nothing we could do about it,’ said another athlete on the University of Pennsylvania women’s team.
Thomas has been excelling in the pool over the past few months and «shattering» all records in the college championships. And she tries, as much as possible, not to let herself be affected by comments made about her, whether publicly or privately. ’Swimming has always been a big part of my life. Before transitioning to my new body, there was a lot of uncertainty about my future in swimming and whether I’d be able to continue. I’m glad I’ve been given this opportunity, and I think it’s fair,« she says. She began swimming as a member of the men’s swim team at Penn State for three years before undergoing gender-affirming surgery.
Even Donald Trump spoke out on the issue. «We will ban men from participating in women’s competitions,» said the former U.S. president, noting that ten states have laws prohibiting young transgender people from participating in girls’ sports in schools.
In a highly symbolic move, Joe Biden, just a few hours after being sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, signed an executive order allowing transgender people—and others—to participate in sports, based on their sexual orientation.
According to the first paragraph of the executive order, «every person must be treated with respect and dignity and must be able to live without fear, regardless of who they are or what they represent. Children should learn to live without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports….] [….All individuals must be treated equally under the law, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation].».
In June 2021, an 11-year-old transgender student and her mother filed a lawsuit in West Virginia to allow her to run with the girls« team at school. The law there prohibits transgender girls and women from competing on women’s sports teams at any public school or state institution of higher education and requires all students to provide birth certificates when enrolling in a new school and requires them to participate in sports teams according to their »sex at birth.”.
As far as swimming in the U.S. is concerned, trans female athletes at the non-elite level can change the category in which they compete «in a way that aligns with their gender identity and expression.» The Federation there emphasized that it will continue «to defend gender equality and the inclusion of all cisgender and transgender women and their right to participate in the sport, while strongly supporting competitive equality at the elite level.».
The new rules «are based on science and medically proven methods» in order to «ensure a level playing field for elite cisgender women» and to «mitigate the advantages associated with male adolescence and physiology.» This policy «recognizes a competitive difference between the categories of men and women and the disadvantages this presents in elite competition.».
He also noted that this is supported by statistical data, which showed that the top female athlete in 2021 would, on average, rank 536th in all men’s events in a 25-meter pool in the country and 326th in the men’s events of the 50-meter pool. Consequently, the policy supports the need for competitive equality at the highest level of competition.
In February 2020, the families of three cisgender female athletes in Connecticut filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent transgender girls from participating in women’s sports. The lawsuit alleged that a 1972 law was being violated. «The girls are directly and negatively affected by the new policy that allows trans athletes who are biologically different to compete in women’s athletic events if they claim to have a female gender identity,» the complaint alleged.
Last summer, at the Tokyo Olympics, Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete in the Games. At 43 years old, she was unable to compete for a medal in the 87-kilogram weightlifting category after making three invalid attempts in the snatch and being eliminated, but she still made history with her participation, having the full support of the IOC. «The qualification rules were set by the International Weightlifting Federation before the qualification process began. These rules are in effect, and you cannot change the rules while the competitions are underway,» said International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
Born as a boy in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1978, before undergoing gender reassignment, at age 34, she had already distinguished herself in weightlifting, setting the national junior record in 1988, then as Gavin Hubbard. At age 23, she retired, unable to bear «the pressure of trying to fit into a world that perhaps wasn’t really made for people like me.» In 2012, she transitioned and became Laurel. Five years later, she returned to training, now competing as a woman.
In 2015, the IOC paved the way for transgender female athletes to compete in the Olympic Games, provided that their testosterone levels are below the threshold of 10 nanomoles per liter, at least twelve months before their first competition.
Scientists have argued that these guidelines do not sufficiently mitigate the biological advantage of those who have gone through puberty as males, such as in terms of muscle and bone density. The counterargument is that the transition process significantly reduces this advantage and that the physical differences among athletes mean there are never truly equal competitive conditions in sports.
It’s not that simple. Far from it. It’s obvious that exclusion harms trans athletes, while their participation in women’s competitions may not be appropriate if the right criteria aren’t established. Ultimately, however, the «rivalry» that exists harms women. In societies where exclusions are «imposed,» inclusion is the path to normalization. Sports bring people together and are a field that can help facilitate the inclusion of transgender individuals. However, it is also a highly competitive field, and competition requires a level playing field.
For example, those who declare their complete opposition to the inclusion of transgender athletes argue that this would result in millions of girls losing athletic victories and perhaps the scholarships that come with them. It also risks more serious injuries to women, as well as their turning to performance-enhancing drugs and steroids, in order to compete with transgender athletes, who will have a physical and genetic advantage. They recommend a separate league as the best solution.
Inclusion, but also fairness. It’s a delicate balance…
By Vasso Prevezianou
