Athletes give verdict on transgender competitors

Published date17 April 2024
Publication titleEvening Chronicle
Fifty-eight per cent of the 175 world-class, elite and national level female athletes supported that principle, except for precision sports such as archery

That rose to 77% among those defined as world-class athletes when talking about their own sport. However, 81% of all respondents also said inclusivity for transgender athletes had to be improved, highlighting the difficult balancing act governing bodies face in squaring inclusion with fairness.

The survey, conducted by academics at Swansea University and the Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport and published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, obtained the views of current and former athletes from a range of sports and countries. They included 26 world champions, 22 Olympians plus six Paralympians.

The international federations for athletics, cycling and swimming now bar anyone who has been through any part of male puberty from competing in the female category. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas is challenging the rules in her sport. Her legal team says...

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