IOC praise Hubbard

The Guardian again? I'm shocked. Shocked I tell you

The current IOC rules make any masculine looking woman come under suspicion because you can't presume those on women's teams are female. I watched the women's Fiji rugby 7s team with some suspicion. We need to get back to knowing only females are competing as women

This 'inclusion over safety' approach at the lower levels is, at best, misguided and, at worst, dangerous.

Don't know much about low level rugby but I know that at low level American Football in this country (where players pay to play as they love the game), the medical personnel are often limited to well-meaning St John's Ambulance types who are out of their depth beyond low-level first aid.
I didn't play in this game but an ex-teammate once got a compound fracture of the arm in a game (not even a bad tackle, just put an arm out to save himself falling) and the St John's people were just horrified and out of their depth. Fortunately one of our defensive tackles was a paramedic and knew what to do before the ambulance came.

Point isn't to have a go at those giving up their time to allow others to play organised contact sports, but more that when you have biological males playing violent sports against opponents they already gave a physical advantage over (and perhaps even more so as female weekend players are less likely to be in as good physical condition as those playing at the international level) then you risk bad injuries to women who need to go to work the next day. If there are bad breaks and spinal injuries etc caused by physical mismatches then the absence of fully trained medical staff risk making such injuries worse.

In a way then, it actually makes more sense for it to happen internationally as at least the medical support would be better.

There’s an obvious inclusive, safe and fair option. Just add two categories: trans women and trans men. That would be more inclusive, actually, as trans men could also compete on a level playing field.

Why isn’t the IOC talking about that as an option? Oh, yeah, because biological women don’t matter.

If Laurel Hubbard competed in the men's event then they'd have a lot of support - that would be true diversity and inclusion.
This isn't.

No...wait...

How the hell can you justify prioritising inclusion over safety in sport??

Because they are male and don't actually care about the safety of women?

Budgett just increasing the bullshit.

Budgett also indicated that he accepted it was fair for World Rugby to ban trans athletes at elite level because of the safety dangers, while allowing national federations allowing transgender players to compete at club level.

“It may be the right thing to do in many sports, because it is at the most elite level in their case that they are concerned about safety. As you come down from that level you can start to prioritise inclusion more than safety.

How the hell can you justify prioritising inclusion over safety in sport??

LazyViper

"There’s a rich seam of misogyny in some parts of social media about this. Kind of ‘You feminist b**es wanted everyone to be equal, so now reap what you sowed HAHAHA’ - so although they’re not natural allies with the TRA lobby, their innate woman hate makes them hold back from opposing men in women’s spaces."

I sadly witnessed this on a car forum yesterday, with regard to the Laurel Hubbard situation. It wasn't pleasant to witness, but I and a few other blokes hopefully pointed out what was wrong with their behaviour.

in the hope of seeing young women being "folded like deckchairs" on the rugby field or lapped multiple times on the track

True. There’s a rich seam of misogyny in some parts of social media about this. Kind of ‘You feminist b**es wanted everyone to be equal, so now reap what you sowed HAHAHA’ - so although they’re not natural allies with the TRA lobby, their innate woman hate makes them hold back from opposing men in women’s spaces.

I might get DH to identify as an under 18 so he can compete in the U18 county athletics trial. He’s still a pretty fast runner and would be bound to trounce all the kids. Gold medal here he comes!

This farce is so maddening, it’s hard to believe it’s even happening. Surely the entire weightlifting-watching world will be thinking WTF?

We aren't allowed to talk about this. The thread was deleted

Really? FFS how long til they do away with the 'naughty step' altogether?

“Well give it a few years and female athletes will train all their lives and not get a shot at any podium.”

I don’t think they will, girls will understand that they have no place in sport, coaches and sports organisations will understand it to. Women and girls in sport will be done for at all levels. So eventually no female athlete will realistically be able to aspire to compete at any level. We’ll just be doing non-competition sports solo such as jogging, cycling, horse riding or getting together with female friends for tennis or badminton perhaps.

We never even got to the point where women’s sport had equal funding and coverage with men’s.

We never even got out of the sexualised clothing required in some women’s sport.

Now we’re on the verge of losing it all.

Mrsjamin Interesting pictures. I read on here that there was something.......thought-provoking about some members of the Chinese women's 3x3 basketball team. I actually went back and watched on catch-up and it's something to ponder, isn't it?

But no, there are no advantages of males apparently . Fuck off, IOC man.

It's like women don't exist. Men want to play so they have to be 'included'. Include them in mens sport then.
What gets me is that women have no value and he feels confident enough to say it.
What is the sex balance of the Olympic Committee?
I will not watch the games any more.

@TheSlayer
I can't ask the athletes who have trained all their life for this one shot to waste it like that.

Well give it a few years and female athletes will train all their lives and not get a shot at any podium.

*I'd love some of the men who have retired in recent years to come out as trans, just to compete, not change anything, not their names or clothing, nothing.

Can you imagine Usain Bolt lining up against the women?*

We need them to do this so badly. When are more men going to grow a bloody backbone and start speaking out on this? I'm struggling to think of a man competing in sports currently who has spoken on it. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

Everyone agrees the emperor’s new clothes are utterly magnificent...

I can't ask the athletes who have trained all their life for this one shot to waste it like that.

No but spectators could. I've already submitted to the lottery for the commonwealth games but I'm considering trying to get one for the weightlifting to turn my back if hubbard competes.

The final is 3rd August 2-4.30 NEC hall 1 if anyone wants to organise a shopping trip.

I'd love some of the men who have retired in recent years to come out as trans, just to compete, not change anything, not their names or clothing, nothing.

Can you imagine Usain Bolt lining up against the women?

Courage and tenacity, my arse. Poor little shy little quiet little Laurel who just wants to join in like all the other girls, my arse. Privileged hulk of a white male-bodied person with no compunction about putting the boot into a young woman's Olympic prospects, and not an abstract young woman, a real young woman who has a face and a name.

I am sure that whatever he may believe personally or remember from his biological science textbooks, Dr Budgett has to spout the official IOC line if he wants to keep his glamorous job. But he has a fucking nerve to presume he speaks for me. I do NOT agree any such thing.