Article on women and sport in Guardian

[RoyalCorgi]

Bit muddled on Caster Semenya, but this is, if not brilliant, then not too bad:

"Former athletes such as Paula Radcliffe and Sharron Davies who support the IAAF’s rules on testosterone limits – upheld last week by the court of arbitration for sport – are attempting to protect the category in which they once raced. Their opponents include activists with an interest in erasing gender definitions, to whom Semenya is a symbolic figure, and those who take her example as an excuse to bring the factor of racism into an argument now characterised by anger, bitterness, insults and a refusal to consider other points of view."

www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/may/06/women-sport-caster-semenya-fa-cup-final-w-series-tour-de-yorkshire

And there's also an article on sexist men / behaviour in swimming pools:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/07/swimming-sexist-behaviour-british-pools-male-swimmers-men

Of course, there's a bloody great elephant in that pool that she's not mentioning

That swimming pool one is so true and this shit happens at my pool all the time

"Their opponents include activists with an interest in erasing gender definitions, to whom Semenya is a symbolic figure, andthose who take her example as an excuse to bring the factor of racism into an argument now characterised by anger, bitterness, insults and a refusal to consider other points of view."

Quite a strong statement for the Guardian. Certainly a more possitive article than a lot of wokeness the Guardian spouts.

Maybe The Guardian is beginning to realise if they don't want to fold they need to listen to women.
I bet LOJ is pissed off, which is always a bonus

I call those aggressive men Swimbeciles.

To balance it out, a predictable article from Gaby Hinsliff at the weekend.
link

There was also one from Kenan Malik in the Observer, who's normally good, but like Hinsliff, missed the point. None of them seem to have understood that Semenya has XY chromosomes, and isn't simply a woman unlucky enough to be producing extra testosterone.

Hinsliff's piece is the typical guilt tripping "show some humanity" spiel which completely misses the point of competition in sport imo.

Oh my god, the one on swimming is so true. I’m a very good swimmer and my old coach, a Male, even mentioned it. I swam in London pools, private clubs and public pools and it is so common. They’re really aggressive, hate that I’m faster and have better endurance and often they have poor technique so really disrupt the water as they aggressively try and overtake me. My swim coach knew men were like this but noticed it more with me because I’m a good swimmer and they particularly hate that. Even if they’re not in the same lane! It’s crazy. They’re such perves when I get out of the pool too.

That overtaking thing happens on bikes too. I live in a really hilly area and am not very fast on a bike but it doesn’t stop equally unfit men busting an aorta to overtake you then once past, cough up a lung and hang 5 metres in front all the way to the top of the hill.

Gaby Hinsliff is clinging on to the fence there. She acknowledges that women wouldn't be winning medals if they had to compete against men, but then again, times are changing, this is cruel on Semenya, most likely women with high T raced in the past etc etc. She's scared to commit herself.

Definitely recognise the swimming pool behaviour. As an ex competitive swimmer, I can still go faster than most people but I look like the middle age mum (with extra pounds) that I am, so I love winding them up in the pool. Silly men.

And there's also an article on sexist men / behaviour in swimming pools

Ha! Yes, when I began reading this article my immediate thought on irritating things blokes do in swimming pools was "berks who insist on doing butterfly" and it's the first thing on the list.

It's a whole mixed up mess of an article though. I wonder if Ellie Mae O'Hagan has joined up the dots yet between:
"I was once getting changed when I spotted a man peering through a crack in the doorway and masturbating,"
"Many pools are cognisant of gender politics, and respond by holding women-only sessions, which are really good for women who are self-conscious, or have religious beliefs that prevent them from swimming in mixed-gender pools,"
"I’m not sure more women-only sessions are the way forward" and
"Men themselves also need to think more carefully about how they behave in public spaces"

Also I'm not sure if this article has been mentioned on here already:
www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/03/visibility-is-so-important-trans-teen-athletes-shine-in-new-documentary Coming later this year. Brace yourselves.