WOMEN & SPORT
BIOLOGY
MATTERS
We play sport with our bodies, and therefore, in the interests of fairness, we must keep sporting categories separated on the basis of sex, and not gender identity. We know that men are bigger and stronger than women, and we know that this is the result of a testosterone fuelled puberty.
We have more than enough data to know that in any sporting event that requires speed, strength, grip, resistance or fast reactions then women can’t win against men, all other things being equal.
The differences are so pronounced, that when the athletics results of high achieving US schoolboys are compared to 2016 Olympic Women's Finalists, the boys win everything. In many events, the best women athletes in the world don’t even qualify for the boys’ event finals.
TESTOSTERONE SUPPRESSION
Suppression of testosterone after puberty has little impact on the advantages conferred by male puberty, and this has been recognised by the IOC.
Laurel Hubbard was required drop his testosterone to <10 nanomoles/litre in order to compete in the women’s weight lifting event in Tokyo.
The IOC has replaced that guidance with the requirement that no athlete may have an “advantage that disproportionately exceeds other advantages that exist at elite-level competition”.
In other words...
There is no longer any meaningful guidance that would exclude males from female competition.
Is your sport fair? We’ve awarded the Women’s Rights Network Fair Sport Award to those sports that have fair and safe policies for women and girls from grassroots through to elite.
Are they one of our "Fair Sport Award" winners?
On 26th May 2023 Heather Binning appeared on BBC - The Context in response to the encouraging news from British Cycling, who have produced a new policy that will outlaw men and boys from entering competitive events meant for women and girls. The policy will be enacted at the end of the year.
British Cycling has not changed its other policies, including its policy of not advertising that trans-identifying males may access what are described as 'women-only' recreational rides. This is our response.
OPEN LETTER
TO PARKRUN
We at WRN do not think it is right that Parkrun are recording runners times by self-identified "gender identity". We believe that sex is real, and sex matters for sports, and we wrote to Parkrun to explain why their policy of recording gender identity instead of sex hurts women.
You can download that letter below. If you agree with us, please write to Parkrun with your own views. Send a hard copy to:
CEO Russ Jefferys - Parkrun UK, Frameworks, 2 Sheen Road, RICHMOND, Surrey TW9 1AE
And/or email to support@parkrun.com
FAIR SPORT AWARD WINNERS
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