Oh Fuck Off, Claire Balding

This isn’t true of all boys. And his school has some very alpha girls who would make mincemeat of him on the netball courts 😂

Unfortunately even the ‘gentlest’ boys can cause significant damage to a girl. I can link up the multiple studies if you like from Australia, Greece, USA and I think Denmark. All showing that from about 7 years old boys are stronger, quicker and just more powerful than girls of that same age.

There is a false sense that boys are the same as girls pre puberty but really, this is not true in general.

If this was just about 'mixed' sports, there wouldn't be much of a story, would there? Tennis mixed doubles and relays, etc, aren't exactly controversial; no-one is complaining about them. Is this a case of muddying the waters?

She has still dodged the question of TW in women’s sport though…

Why sickening? Gentle boys have just as much of a height/speed/strength advantage, and as much ability to inadvertently injure a girl, as tough boys.

that sounds like an out-take from Triumph of the Will II, @viques !

Well Clare might think that, but let’s face it, the men who are pushing to be allowed to participate as women in womens sports are not going to be interested in sharing the top spot winners podium with other people, they want to stand there alone, triumphant, their glossy locks floating in the breeze, the gold medal pressed to their luscious lips, their heaving bosoms barely contained in their Lycra vests, and the women who they have unfairly beaten standing at either side like silenced handmaidens .

Just seen update, fair enough, but she is a seasoned enough broadcaster to know that you need to make your intentions crystal clear from the start, it is all too easy for people to cherry pick remarks, take them out of context and use them for their own purposes.

At DS’s senior school, girls are can elect to join a boys’ sports session, but not vice versa. Sickening, especially for the more gentle boys. For adults, I don’t mind so much - at least at that stage, they get a choice whether or not to participate.

The clarification that she means things like having men's and women's competitions in the same venue and on the same day to maximise crowds and media coverage makes much more sense. Good.

Good. I am glad she clarified as I like CB.

I can see what she meant about sharing platforms and raising profiles to
get funding. That’s somewhat different to what the headline was suggesting. .

Edited to say: I suspect that she will be able to be more direct once she stops working for the Beeb.

That's great. Thanks.

Good for CB for coming back to clear up misunderstandings. That's pretty much what I thought she was getting at first time around - except for the mixed football idea and she's clarified she was talking about it as a platform rather than as a sport.
Personally, I really like mixed relays - no-contact sports. I also think mixed doubles in tennis and badminton are great options for social sports involvement as well. Sport by sport, it's worth looking at mixed sex as an option, if the sport is no-contact. It does attract attention and the athletes love these events.

There's a difference between mixed sex competition, properly and appropriately done, and mixed sex participation. ParkRun is supposed to be (but is not, of course) an example of mixed sex participation, with everyone usually running together but the women's times and records recorded separately. That's different from a mixed doubles tennis team, or an archery duo when there is one of each sex on the team and the teams compete directly. And sometimes, having a couple of boys in each team will be the only option available if there aren't enough girls/women to make up two five-a-side or seven-a-side football teams at school, and the alternative is no football for the really keen but not necessarily especially talented girls. An all-girls football session would be the ideal but may not always be doable.

Thanks for the link.

Apologies I missed that!

D'oh !

Yes, the first link should work. Apologies, I forgot to label it.

There's an archive link right there. Can you not use that?

Do you have that without it being behind a paywall please? As I think she's drawing back from mixed sports being great but I can't see?

She's popped up in the Telegraph again to clarify

https://archive.ph/yIUl8

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2024/11/07/clare-balding-interview-said-wrong-thing-mixed-gender-sport/

Jolly good. Says some nice things about Chris Hoy at the end.

Suzanne Moore in the Telegraph

https://archive.ph/gUX9I bypass the paywall

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/29/clare-balding-mixed-sex-sport-women-trans-athletes/

I think we've all seen the piece from Reem Absalem's recent report 900 medals lost by women to tw. SM explicitly states the flip side, that not one single medal has been taken by a tm from a man. I mean, well duh! However, it's pretty stark to see it spelled out.

Lesbians (and I say this as a lesbian) are sadly often the most self - loathing as women. Anything to dick pander and fit in. Still so disappointing though. How sad for her to keep mentioning golf after all those incredible female golfers signed the letter of protest against the TIM stealing women’s medals.

really can’t wait for this nonsense to arrive at an end

Wow what a traitor.

Over 500 comments, big majority (and all the posts with a high number of recommendations) are critical of her comments and the fact that the article doesn’t address the trans controversy at all.

Well, that's just my personal opinion having played (and more latterly managed and coached) grassroots football for over thirty years and played and organised mixed-sex team sport (including football) for a dozen years. Nowhere near elite level though.

Perhaps we should have a mixed-sex fantasy league and test our strategic assumptions 😂

But apparently truthfulness MNers know nothing.

And I would absolutely advise the women not to head any balls, with the possible exception of rebounds or throw ins.

Walking football, perhaps? 😁

Actually, if I had to do it, I'd put all the males in the core - central defenders, midfield, one up front, and put the women in the outside positions - where they were out of harms way. They could receive a pass on the wing and play it back in fairly successfully, or cause some irritation to an opposition winger as a full back. I could not want female defenders up against fast, heavy, strong male attackers when they had the goal in sight.