Transgender Guidelines May “Destroy” Women’s Sports, According To Female Olympians

Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times,

New Olympic guidelines emphasize the “inclusion” of transgender athletes, disqualifying them only after finding proof of “an unfair and disproportionate advantage,” which officials in each sport will define.

“Athletes should be allowed to compete in the category that best aligns with their self-determined gender identity,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declares in its Dec. 16 position paper.

Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the statement represents the most recent step in a decades-long evolution of policies affecting female athletes.

The effects could be far-reaching because the IOC sets the tone for sports in community groups, high schools, and universities across the globe.

With the latest update, the IOC was trying to further explain the controversial transgender-related principles that the organization issued in November 2021. That document declared “no presumption of advantage” for male-to-female competitors, triggering a backlash.

Instead of clarifying the situation, the IOC appears to have sparked more confusion and resentment among some prominent female athletes.

‘Total Disregard’ For Women

Ex-Olympians fear that, by clearing the path for biological males to infiltrate women’s categories further, the IOC could cause women’s sports to deteriorate and eventually die. Faced with seemingly unbeatable biological male competitors, fewer girls and women are likely to participate, drying up the talent pool.

Mara Yamauchi, a two-time Olympic marathoner for the United Kingdom, reacted on Twitter to the IOC’s latest statement. She wrote:  “Its total disregard for women and girls made me so angry I was shaking.”

Former Olympians Sharron Davies (R) and Mara Yamauchi (L), outspoken advocates for women’s sports, spoke at a women’s conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 16, 2022. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Yamauchi interpreted the IOC’s update this way: “We will destroy your sports, Ladies, but you are so totally worthless we won’t bother asking your views.”

However, the IOC said the guidelines included input from “all athletes, including trans athletes and athletes with sex variations, as well as human rights, legal, scientific and medical experts.”

Transgender activists applauded the IOC for its transgender-friendly stance; several Twitter users repeated the phrase:  “All kids deserve to have access to sport.”

No Presumption of Advantage

Last year’s IOC guidelines stirred controversy, mainly because of the “no-presumption-of-advantage” declaration for male-to-female transgender athletes.

The guidelines stated: No athlete should be excluded from competition based on “an unverified, alleged or perceived unfair competitive advantage” arising from transgender status or physical appearance. “Sex variations,” apparently referring to genetic or physiological differences, also should not be factors.

Ex-Olympians protested, pointing to several well-recognized studies showing that, when compared to biological females, biological males tend to possess superior speed, strength, and stamina–just a few of the advantages that can enhance sports performance.

In 2017, researchers in Israel reported finding more than 3,500 genetic-encoded differences between males and females.

Some people say they don’t need a study to tell them what they see in daily life: observable performance contrasts between males and females.

That’s why much public debate has swirled around biological males who identify as transgender and compete in women’s sports.

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