Elite sports people speaking up!

[Signalbox]

There seems to be an increasing number of sports people speaking up about the problem of males completing in women's sports which is positive. Thought it might be useful to have a thread of those who are risking sticking their heads above the parapet. Obviously the likes of Sharon Davies, Mara Yamauchi and Martina Navratilova have been bravely doing this for sometime but now we appear to have a few current athletes as well who are prepared to risk the mob to ensure women have fair competition. Is it too much to hope for that there will be a snowball effect?

Signalbox · Today 07:39

"With effect from 23rd April 2025 trans women will not be eligible to participate in the women’s series nor will trans women be eligible to be selected for international events in the female category."

Well, hallelujah!

Is NC out of a job? Must be hard for barristers keeping up with the dominos falling.

From Peter Daly who is representing a group of women pool players.

For 15 months, I've been advising a group of women who play competitive Pool, seeking to establish women-only competition in their sport. This resulted in the statement last night from Ultimate Pool that women-only Pool is being re-introduced. My clients' statement is here:

https://x.com/peter_daly/status/1915351181905334737/photo/1

Well now. That is good news.

Yes, I agree. The SC decision is starting to have tangible results already, which is brilliant news. On the other hand, the London Marathon organiser has said that TIMs will be eligible to register and run "as women" this year.

Yes, I agree. The SC decision is starting to have tangible results already, which is brilliant news. On the other hand, the London Marathon organiser has said that TIMs will be eligible to register and run "as women" this year.

We have a long way to go. The court cases will go on for many many years.

Yes I don't understand this at all as UK Athletics guidance says that participation in races has to be based on sex and not gender. I am not impressed. Does this mean that the first woman in the mass start could be a male bodied person. Ridiculous if so.

Just occurred to me - this clarification of the meaning of "single sex" means that there can't be any fudging of sports governing bodies' eligibility policies in the UK - it's no males at all, pre- or post-pubertal, in the women's/girls' category at any level.

And it is direct sex discrimination not to have a women's category in sport, as well as contravention of other legal duties. So there really is nowhere to hide. No half-arsed policies allowing males where it will be less obvious.

Mara Yamauchi is like a dog with a bone about the London Marathon - she's done interviews this week and last week, and there have been a couple of Telegraph articles. The organiser, Hugh Brasher, is going ahead and just ignoring her (and the law) at the moment, hasn't even said he's waiting for guidance, which is the delaying tactic of some organisations. This has "huge story" written all over it. I hope, anyway!

She’s amazing isn’t she? I can see why she was an elite athlete.

There's a story (currently lead in the London section) on the Evening Standard site about Sharron Davies criticising the London Marathon's stance on transwomen.

I found it remarkable. It describes Sharron as "The Olympic swimming hero" and "a long-standing champion of fairness in sport".

I know the Standard isn't as bad as the Metro on genderism but crikey, this feels like a change in tone.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sharron-davies-blasts-london-marathon-trans-women-compete-b1224518.html

And a lovely photo of her.

Another domino topples…

The Scottish Football Association are set to introduce new rules which prohibit transgender players from taking part in the women’s game.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/25123408.scottish-fa-ban-transgender-players-girls-womens-football/

Archive

https://archive.ph/k3GVB

Good…

The Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board are both receiving fresh counsel on transgender inclusion policies which had already been updated in recent months.

A blanket ban across sport on trans women in women’s competition appears more likely than ever in the coming months, with snooker chiefs also announcing a review on Monday.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2025/04/28/fa-and-ecb-seek-blanket-ban-legal-advice-after-transgender/

Archive…
https://archive.ph/92roW

That's a good article - with most commentators wondering why they need legal advice given how clear the SC ruling is.

I notice that the phrasing is now 'trans women in women's sport'.

Not as good as 'biological males in women's sport' but better than 'poor vulnerable trans women in sport'.

Baby steps.

Incidentally, I think the hockey player above blogs interminably as rejserin on Medium. Even trans Redditors mostly don't engage.

Potentially good news signal. Thanks for sharing that.

Thank you Lord Triesman:

"All those involved should stand down immediately from sports administration and from the quasi-judicial panels on which they’ve served and, in effect, broke the law,” he told Telegraph Sport on April 16. “Thank goodness for the wisdom of the most senior judges in the UK.”

Hear, hear!!

They now seem to have realised that they must obey the law, which is excellent news. I wonder what will happen with the two schoolgirl footballers, who were suspended? Apologies? Compensation? Their disciplinary records wiped?

Current rules in England and Scotland allow transgender footballers to play women’s football if they can prove that hormone therapy has brought their testosterone levels within the range of their affirmed gender.

Current rules are illegal.

I think that the main threat to women’s safety and fairness in football comes from male players with a DSD.
Will the FA commit to a cheek swab I wonder?

@kiterunning you don't get many (if any) incorrect in the UK. Mostly a problem for under-developed medical systems in poorer countries. Which is why IOC and other international bodies will be bringing back cheek swabs

@highame
It’s not a problem in those countries. It’s a problem for the women who are cheated out of a place and teams that are missing out on success in places like the USA where there are several such footballers in high profile teams.
It would only be a matter of time before the same thing happened in the UK.

The guidelines written by team international governing bodies for athletics, swimming, cycling and rugby are worth reading... they make it clear that biological sex is important.. there are varying degrees of this amongst the regulations... but worth reading..

Football has been resistant to this.. well done to the Scottish FA for being the first organisation to follow the lead of many other sporting organisations.

It remains to be seen if other countries follow this and if FIFA will make changes... I hope there are lots of discussions happening ... and I hope that there are women present!