To be worried about the future of WOMEN'S athletics

[TeamCersei]

Just that really.

I've been avidly following the athletics and have noticed that at least two countries where the competitors are, how can I say this tactfully,? Are of dubious gender.
and guess what. They win the races. Every time.

How can women compete against this?
How is it fair?

I'm prepared to get my arse handed on a plate but I don't care.
I think this needs to be discussed.
God only knows how it feels from a competitor's point of view.
No matter how hard you train, the best woman can't hope to win against'men'

I don't think that is a particularily important or relevant question.

Why alllow women not to win at women's sports rather than single out intersex?
What is it about women in sports that makes them less important than all other competitors?

Can't believe this thread is still going. Several of you are talking about testosterone levels as if they are the sole and most powerful determinant, when many other factors shape sporting success, including genetics, training, support, experience, and not least psychology. Many of thoseespecially genetics and hormonesare a lot less well understood than you suggest, and any physical advantage is conferred by a quite complicated mix of all factors. And that's before you take into account that it's performance on the day that matters; physical advantage has to be considered along w/ many other advantages. Can you imagine, for one moment, how difficult it must be for CS to get out there and run after having her life turned upside down on the international stage? Having competitors accuse her of not being a 'real' woman when she was raised all her life as one, not to mention the horrible things people say on the internet about her? To be called a freak of nature and told that as a result it isn't fair for her to do the thing she's trained for, aspired to since childhood? To be attacked because of her 'dubious' appearance? The mere fact that she's been out there competing despite all this means she's incredibly strong, and I'm not talking about testosterone levels or twitchy fibres or lung capacity. I would hope that alone would make her a role model for any child interested in sport.

I think she's fantastic-

I don't think anyone has said she isn't strong or gutsy have they?

I don't think anyone has said she should be attacked or insulted, have they?

Dd wants to be a middle distance runner. She already beats all the girls in her year and thinks there is no stopping her! I don't know when to tell her it's pointless. In ten years, many women's sports will be a no-women winners area.

It's not pointless. I wish your daughter all the best.

It's not that though is it?

I think everyone has clearly stated why sports should be segregated as to birth sex. Women's sport is derided as it is with many more people thinking men's sport is more worth watching. So to have this happen as well seems massively unfair.

Yet again the wishes of women are trampled all over. And those women who are competing against these transwomen cannot complain without being called bigots.

The issue of intersex people is more complicated but I feel that there should be a separate category for them.

histiny sport isn't pointless just because you can't do it professionally though. If your DD enjoys running and competing then that is two important reasons to do it regardless of how good she actually is.

Whether she will make it as a professional athlete has very little to do with intersex and very much to do with how fantastically unlikely it is that she will be one of the best 20 or so female middle distance runners on the whole planet.

With the best will in the world she probably isn't. So intersex competitors don't change her chances significantly at all.

There are around 5 billion women and around 500 professional female athletes, so your chance of being one of them is somewhere around 1 in a million to 1 in 10 million.

If the only reason for doing sport is to be a pro, then no one would do sport.

I would like to see a high profile female runner speak out about this

:Lynsey Sharp did.

You should see the hate on Twitter. It's quite shocking though not just about CS, also because she said that if Scotland became independent she'd rather run for rUK, so she's got tjhe cybernats after her too.

I think CS has had a very hard time, it must be awful to be the subject of such conjecture and discussion. But given the controversy she didn't have to run the 1500, as well and take another medal. I wonder if Laura Muir is wondering what if as she came 4th in the 1500m? That said, maybe CS expects to be told she has to take drugs again soon so is making hay while the sun shines.

Just to add to Timeywimey8 's post Lynsey Sharp has just had another load of abuse from Caster's fans and national papers.

Lynsey wrote a dissertation on hyperandrogenism so she isn't just shooting her mouth off on something she knows nothing about

Serious question here. Why is it ok to say black people are better at running, but not ok to say white people are better at, say, writing software?