World Athletics Hits Back at Claims Over Transgender Competitors

World Athletics has hit back at claims made by a transgender rights organization regarding the banning of trans athletes from women's events.

The athletics governing body said that LGBTQ+ rights group Athlete Ally made "a number of problematic statements" in comments to Newsweek following the decision by World Athletics to ban transgender athletes from taking part in elite women's competitions.

The issue of transgender athletes came to the fore after swimmer Lia Thomas stormed to victory in the women's 500m freestyle NCAA swimming championships. Thomas, who had previously competed as a man, beat an Olympic silver medalist into second place in the women's event.

Since then, questions have been raised about whether male-to-female transgender athletes have an advantage over women athletes, as trans women could have higher testosterone levels, and greater size and strength gained after going through male puberty.

Lia Thomas
Trans swimmer Lia Thomas, second left, of Penn University poses with her medal after placing first in the 100-yard freestyle swimming race at the 2022 Ivy League Women's Swimming & Diving Championships at Harvard University... Getty Images

Last month, World Athletics made the decision to ban transgender athletes born as males from competing in elite women's events.

The organization told Newsweek in an email: "As of 31 March 2023, they are not eligible to compete in the elite female category if they have experienced any part of male puberty either beyond Tanner Stage 2 (early puberty) or after age 12—whichever comes first."

Former college wrestling coach Hudson Taylor, the founder and executive director of Athlete Ally, subsequently claimed that World Athletics had succumbed "to political pressure" in making the decision but the athletics governing body has dismissed the accusation.

But World Athletics told Newsweek: "We went through a comprehensive consultation process which made it clear that our stakeholders believed there was insufficient evidence that transwomen did not retain advantage over biological women and wanted more evidence that any physical advantages had been ameliorated before they were willing to consider an option for inclusion in the female category."

Taylor also claimed that athletes had been subjected to "sex testing."

He told Newsweek: "For women with intersex traits, they will continue to be subjected to horrific sex testing practices and medically unnecessary surgery, gender-based violence and discrimination that has been documented by Human Rights Watch and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights."

World Athletics has categorically denied this and told us that it "[does] not conduct sex testing and has never forced, or even recommended, any athlete affected by its regulations to undergo surgery."

The governing body also took umbrage at claims that there is inequality in sport and women were not receiving "parity in pay" with their male counterparts.

Lia Thomas
Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania talks to a reporter after winning the 500-yard freestyle event at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championship in Atlanta on March 17, 2022. Questions have... Getty Images

Taylor had claimed that World Athletics President Sebastian Coe had "stated that these guidelines are an attempt to protect women's sport, but in fact these guidelines do nothing to address what we know to be the actual, proven threats to women's sports: unequal pay, rampant sexual abuse and harassment, lack of women in leadership, and inequities in resources for women athletes."

The sporting organization has slammed the claim and said it "is demonstrably untrue."

They told us: "Since the beginning of the professional sport era in the 1980s, athletics had parity in pay, and when World Athletics Championships prize money was introduced, it was immediately equal for women and men.

"We have a comprehensive safeguarding policy which will be implemented by each of our 214 Member Federations by the end of this year to address any issues surrounding sexual abuse, abuse of power and other forms of harassment."

Do you have a tip on a sports story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about transgender athletes? Let us know via entertainment@newsweek.com.

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