By Tendai Chisiri
During her campaing, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry was vocal in her support for a blanket ban on trans women competing in female categories at the Olympics.
At present, it is down to individual sporting bodies to decide if trans athletes are eligible to take part in an event.
“The election of Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – the first woman and first African to take the job – could alter the future of transgender and intersex athletes in the Games”
“Coventry, a former Olympian who won seven of Zimbabwe’s eight Olympic medals, will take over from Thomas Bach on June 23”, reported Context in March.
There has also been controversy around Coventry’s stance on transgender athletes. She has said transgender women have an unfair advantage and has backed a blanket ban on them competing in women’s Olympic sports”, Context added.
According to Fox News, the sports governing body for soccer in England has banned transgender athletes from competing in the women’s sport on Thursday, a policy change that comes weeks after a UK Supreme Court ruling defined a woman as someone born biologically female.
The Football Association (FA) announced its policy change on Thursday, calling the issue “a complex subject.”
“As the governing body of the national sport, our role is to make football accessible to as many people as possible, operating within the law and international football policy defined by UEFA and FIFA,” the statement began. “Our current policy, which allows transgender women to participate in the women’s game, was based on this principle and supported by expert legal advice.”
The previous policy required that transgender athletes wishing to compete in women’s soccer must show a “blood serum testosterone maintained at below 5.0 nmol/L” for a period of at least 12 months prior to competition. The athlete must have medical records to prove hormone therapy and annual verified hormone treatment before the start of each season.
“This is a complex subject, and our position has always been that if there was a material change in law, science, or the operation of the policy in grassroots football then we would review it and change it if necessary,” the governing body’s statement continued.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling on the 16 April means that we will be changing our policy. Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football in England, and this policy will be implemented from 1 June 2025.”
Also transgender women will no longer be able to play in competitive women’s and girl’s cricket in England and Wales after a change of policy from the sport’s governing body.
Trans women have been banned from the top two tiers of elite women’s cricket since the start of this year, but had been permitted to compete in the women’s game up to and including tier three of the domestic game and throughout recreational cricket. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has now extended its policy in light of a UK supreme court ruling handed down last month. The change was officially approved at a board meeting on Friday.
News Sport Online 