The head of World Athletics has defended his ban of trans women in elite female sport as he warns that without it, “no woman would ever win another sporting event”.
Lord Sebastian Coe said “depressing, disfiguring” culture wars should be kept out of trans athletics debate.
However, he added that it was “important for their journey” that trans women are included in amateur sports such as fun runs.
According to Coe, the ban is in place to protect the integrity of the sport.
The head of World Athletics has defended his ban of trans women in elite female sport as he warns that without it, 'no woman would ever win another sporting event'PA/ Getty“You can’t have a sport where young girls feel there is going to be a biological ceiling beyond which they can’t move,” he told the Hay Festival.
“They have to believe they are capable of going from the playground to podium with some protection.
“If we didn’t do this no woman will win another sporting event and it is as binary as that.”
He added that the debate should not soaked up into the wider culture wars.
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Lord Sebastian Coe said 'depressing, disfiguring' culture wars should be kept out of trans athletics debate
ReutersCoe said: “I find the so-called culture wars are the most depressing disfiguring element in British politics at the moment.”
The former Conservative MP said that culture wars need to be kept out of the transgender athletics “space”.
Last year, World Athletics said it was banning trans women who had gone through male puberty from elite female events.
The 67-year-old chief said that he did not have the “moral disposition, philosophical disposition and certainly not the jurisdiction to stop a transgender competitor running local fun runs.
Last year, World Athletics said it was banning trans women who had gone through male puberty from elite female events
GETTY“That is important in that journey for them.”
Following the ban, the World Athletics set up a working group - with a transgender athlete as a member - to “look at this landscape and understand some of the other issues”.
The ban on transgender women also affects World Netball, World Swimming body Fina, the Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union and International Cricket.
