- Written by Sarah Dawkins
- bbc sports
image source, Getty Images
The majority of elite female athletes questioned for the new study support categorizing women's sports by biological sex rather than gender identity.
The survey, published on Wednesday by Manchester Metropolitan University and Swansea University, found that 58% of respondents supported such a classification.
Among “world class” athletes, those who have competed in the Olympic Games or World Championship finals, that percentage rose to 77% for their sport.
However, the majority of athletes competing in non-Olympic sports think category changes should be allowed, with the highest percentage among athletes in “precision” sports such as archery at 74%.
The study, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, is the largest study of its kind to date and examined current and retired national, elite, and world-class female athletes from a variety of sports and countries. This is an evaluation of the opinions of 175 people.
Respondents included 26 world champions, 22 Olympians and 6 Paralympians, and for the first time show that opinions vary by career stage, level of competition and type of sport.
A survey conducted by BBC Sport in March found that more than 100 elite British sportswomen were uncomfortable with transgender women competing in the women's category in their sport.
In the debate surrounding the inclusion of transgender athletes, many argue that transgender women should not participate in elite women's sports because of the potential to maintain a physical advantage, but sports should be more inclusive. Some argue that it should be.
The debate centers on the balance between inclusion, sporting fairness and safety in women's sports, and whether transgender women can compete in the women's category without having an unfair advantage.
Current International Olympic Committee guidelines effectively allow individual sports to determine the best approach to balancing inclusivity and equity, and over the past two years track and field, swimming, World governing bodies for sports such as cycling have opened the door to banning transgender women from women's competitions. .
In 2022, British Triathlon became the first British sporting body to create an open category for transgender athletes.
On Tuesday, UK Culture Secretary Lucy Fraser called on sports bodies to “take a clear stand” and ban transgender athletes from competing in elite women's sport.
What does new research show?
The majority of athletes surveyed were from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada and participated in sports such as track and field, canoeing, ice/speed skating, swimming, hockey, and curling.
In the new study, athletes were asked questions based on a variety of elite sports situations, including sports that rely heavily on “physical ability” such as sprinting, “precision sports” such as archery, and “contact sports” such as rugby union. answered.
Among athletes participating in current Olympic sports, the majority of athletes who believe that their category should not change are at a higher rate than among world-class athletes in sports that rely heavily on physical ability. It was the highest (93%).
Of the 175 respondents, 68 were retired, and 83% supported categories based on biological sex, compared to 64% of active Olympic athletes.
The survey found that 81% of female athletes think governing bodies should do more to make their sport more inclusive, while 94% are negative towards gender transition in general. It also indicates that no evidence has been presented to support the opinion. Of those surveyed, 66% believe transgender athletes are treated unfairly across sports.
Alan Williams, professor of sport and exercise genomics at the Institute of Sport at Manchester Metropolitan University, said sports federations needed to take into account differences of opinion “to truly understand athletes' perspectives” on transgender inclusion in sport. It states that there is.
The report notes that these attitudes are likely to be based on a desire for restrictions on participation “not only based on negative beliefs about transgender people, but also on the pursuit of fair competition and the ability to win.” ” points out that this shows that.
By publishing the full text of the questions used, the report authors hope that their research will serve as an important resource for sports governing bodies in the future when developing guidelines for eligibility and inclusion of transgender athletes. He says he is looking forward to it.
However, the study added: “Specific consideration is needed to the differences between those who are most likely to be compensated, such as world-class athletes, and those who are not directly affected by policy decisions, such as retired athletes.” Pointed out.
Dr Shane Heffernan from Swansea University said: 'Governing bodies need to be confident in an often polarized debate that our research is based on scientific methods and peer-reviewed research. “We have provided evidence that it can be used in a variety of ways.”
“At every level of sport we evaluate, opinions are divided on the inclusion of transgender athletes. We need to apply nuance when policy decisions are made that impact the lives and, in some cases, livelihoods of athletes. need to do it.”
“While the voices of high-level athletes show that transgender inclusion is important, equity must be a priority for athletes at the highest competitive level.”
The MMU and Swansea study comes a week after the publication of an IOC-funded study from the University of Brighton, which found that transgender women perform worse on several measures than female athletes. It is said that it did.
The authors of the Brighton study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, say the results suggest that sports governing bodies would be more likely to introduce measures to automatically ban transgender women from the women's category. “This suggests that we should exercise caution.”
According to 2021 Census data, 0.1% of the population of England and Wales identify as transgender women, and an equal number identify as transgender men.
