Transgender athletes face blanket ban at Olympics

And they always say "transgender"/"trans" rather than "male", or even "male transgender".

How so?

Not before time. But I think inter-sex athletes are a different case.

Why is it always framed as 'trans banned' not 'female protected as single sex only'?

Even by elements of the press who are supportive of the point?

It's obviously because the headline gets more clicks but it's still as if women don't matter and it must be centred around males because feminism isn't worth sticking up for.

What is the point of a transgender category? Identities are irrelevant to athletic ability.

Yes, you're right.

The most compelling arguments against transwomen and DSD competitors in female sport are that they are male.

If females are in female sport there's no issue as long as long as they don't take testosterone.

I would weep with happiness if women's sport could be restored to women - if the Olympics do it, hopefully that would give courage to everyone else. But they also need to reinstate sex testing for reasons given upthread.

I'd be interested in how they manage trans male participation, after all the only trans athletes at the last olympics were trans men.

Who were they, out of interest?

Did the 2 DSD boxers have bouts against each other? I thought they were in different weight classes.

'Soon to be'. So only implied.

I think this is because the most compelling arguments about trans competitors concern hormone levels and developmental characteristics after puberty, so those arguments would pertain to women with DSD as well as trans women. It certainly shouldn't label Khelif as trans (because she isnt)

I'd be interested in how they manage trans male participation, after all the only trans athletes at the last olympics were trans men

Why the hell is this so difficult? It isn't difficult!

If you're a man who likes to wear dresses, how the chuff does this stop you competing against men who wear trousers? Change the dress code not the sex category!

You're welcome.

Simple just make a ‘transgender’ category to race themselves. If you identify as a female and born as female race against females, like wise for males. If you identify otherwise and then race against those who identify otherwise with you.

Not simple at all (what sports are you going to remove to make room for more medals for mediocre males?), but I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they discuss the eligibility criteria.

Do you mean they are being asked to compete under the same set of rules as all non-transgender athletes? Not my definition of a ban!

I think Samaranch Jnr has also come out publicly in favour of protecting the women’s category as part of his campaign. So that’s 3 out of 7.

When the initial candidate list was announced there was a little manifesto paragraph for each one. From memory, 3 were explicitly in favour of women's sport being protected for actual women - of whom I think 2 gave a bit of BeKind padding and 1 was very blunt.

True, and Khelif was irate about being called transgender.

The Times reporter does mention athletes with differences in sexual development.

But then the paragraphs on Kirsty Coventry, to my eyes, conflate the two issues by quoting her on the subject of transgender women, and then bringing up her comments on the Paris boxing controversy which obviously involved DSDs.

Exactly.

Sex testing has to be reinstated. It's the only way.

Neither of the two boxers claimed to be trans, though.

Fingers crossed

I am hopeful

Simple just make a ‘transgender’ category to race themselves. If you identify as a female and born as female race against females, like wise for males. If you identify otherwise and then race against those who identify otherwise with you.

A note of caution. Seb Coe and Kirsty Coventry are only two of the seven candidates for the post of President of the IOC.

I don't know the stance of the other five on this issue. But one of them is the son of Juan Antonio Samaranch, during whose presidency testing for sex verification was abandoned.

Excellent news.