More threats to womens sport - FIFA and FINA

According to Sky rugby has also decided transwomen are not eligible. Seems like a domino effect!

Also in The Times 🙂

Some promising signals from Seb Coe on the athletics front

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10934773/World-Athletics-president-Sebastian-Coe-backs-FINAs-ruling-transgender-athletes-banned.html

Thats a fair point re the scope of FINA, but I'm not sure about transwomen not bothering with amateur sports. 99.9% of all of us who complete in them have no expectations of any elite career :-) We just do it because we really enjoy our sports. Transwomen will still get the validation of being in women's sport and the enjoyment of being much better than most of their peers.

Plus there are already plenty of transwomen in many amateur sports, so I think changing policy and removing them could actually be very difficult. The safety angle is probably our best best.

Yes I agree in principle @Truthlikeness but I think there is probably an element of just not engaging with the amateur sport aspect in the FINA context because it wasn't the question at issue.

The amateur sports are more likely to follow the lead of the elite levels over time, I would think, so it will probably be a moot point and not necessary to address specifically at this time. Plus FINA doesn't govern local sports so can't purport to make rules outside its scope.

Also I imagine if transwomen aren't eligible to compete in women's sports at elite levels, they may be less bothered with trying to compete at the amateur levels because they can't continue upwards iyswim. And if a third category is put in at elite levels then T groups might sort out their own amateur sporting comps / categories for pre-elite levels, which would be the ideal outcome really

It's a good speech but they always seem to throw amateur sport under the bus. Fairness is just as important to us in amateur sports as elite. The bottom line is that women simply won't play if it's unfair (and in my sport, also unsafe) and sport is enormously beneficial to individuals and societies.

And it turned out that elite women swimmers did get to address the congress as well - reposting this here as well as on the other thread as I think Cate Campbell did a fabulous job with her speech, which is reproduced in full at the end of the article

www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-20/cate-campbell-speaks-to-fina-ahead-of-transgender-athlete-call/101166396

Oh the pained tone in the BBC article on this is very evident:

www.bbc.com/sport/swimming/61853450

There are concerns, however, as highlighted in Fina's decision, that athletes retain an advantage from going through male puberty that is not addressed by lowering testosterone.

Because it's a fact, you maroons.

Now what about medals and records won unfairly in women's sports by TW athletes who passed through male puberty?

Records which a female is unlikely to ever be able to break?

Absolutely excellent - and in force from tomorrow, which shows serious intent.

Excellent news from FINA and it sounds like a step in the right direction. Lia Thomas's statement of 'Let trans kids play' on an arm when competing sums up everything that was wrong with the situation. They are competing, not playing and competition needs to be fair.

Thank you Lia Thomas

Finally someone admits the Emperor is NOT wearing New Clothes and suggests he covers up

Great, and yes 71% is a great majority vote.

Let's hope FINA carry the can on this and other sporting bodies begin to be emboldened. Will also give competing female athletes in other sports a precedent to claim fairness in their sport.

A token gesture completely. Yes trans people can compete but only if they transitioned under the age of 12.
It stops what needed to be stopped. Adult men who have failed to achieve as a man but are able to win as a woman.

Sense at last. 71% voted for

Its an interesting point.

The effort is being gone to to ensure that any female injured or worse due to competing with males have no legal claim.

I cannot see that a female hurt by 'being folded like a deckchair' by a biological male in a female sport would have any less claim.

Appendix 1 is very interesting! All the sports bodies for contact sports currently allowing transwomen to compete in women's categories should get every female to sign one.

It is isn't it Artichoke. They're also very clear about trans men being welcome in women's swimming subject to meeting various drug requirements.

Also very good to see the commitment to looking into an open category. This is the only real way forward.

The Appendix 1 disclaimers for TM is sobering reading.

The TRAs will meltdown about this.
It's uncompromising about maintaining the separation of Aquatic sports into men’s and women’s categories according to scientifically-grounded, sex-based criteria

They've openly tackled the trans DSD issues and state that swimmers can compete in the competition category that reflects their gender identity based on eligibility criteria that are consistent with and do not undermine FINA’s goals for the women’s category

Thanks to Lia Thomas for idemonstrating to the world so clearly how males who have undergone puberty retain advantages over women in sport.

It comes into force from the 20th June - which is tomorrow. They're not messing around.

A child who has transitioned before the age of 12 will have a body that is so fatally compromised physically that they will never ever reach elite standard in a sport like swimming. I suspect it's a token gesture that they know will never become a reality.

According to the Science Group, if gender-affirming male-to-female transition consistent with the medical standard of care is initiated after the onset of puberty, it will blunt some, but not all, of the effects of testosterone on body structure, muscle function, and other determinants of performance, but there will be persistent legacy effects that will give male-to-female transgender athletes (transgender women) a relative performance advantage over biological
females. A biological female athlete cannot overcome that advantage through training or nutrition. Nor can they take additional testosterone to obtain the same advantage, because testosterone is a prohibited substance under the World Anti-Doping Code.

That's actual common sense!!!

This is incredible and much welcome. I've only scanned it but they clearly criticise the IOC's inadequate trans captured recommendations. They focus on facts and science and are heading for women's and open categories in the future.
I noticed this:
FINA recognises that some individuals and groups may be uncomfortable with the use of medical and scientific terminology related to sex and sex-linked traits which made me It's the silencing of facts and science that has led to this mess and (unless I'm misreading this) it looks as if the adults have re entered the room (or swimming pool if you prefer).

Good grief!!!!