Female sports stars losing '900 medals to biological males' as fresh calls made to ban transgender athletes

Lia Thomas and Riley Gaines

Lia Thomas was barred from competing in women's sports by World Aquatics

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Stuart Ballard

By Stuart Ballard


Published: 23/10/2024

- 17:28

There have been growing calls for a blanket ban on transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.

Female athletes have reportedly lost around 900 medals to transgender rivals in women's sports, according to a new staggering report from the United Nations with new calls for a blanket ban.

The study into 'violence against women and girls, its causes and consequence' revealed that 'over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports'.


The paper, compiled by Reem Alsalem, didn't elaborate on what sporting events the medals were won, or what time frame.

It comes after the United Nations held a panel last week at the general assembly where female athletes and global human rights leaders called for changes to be made to protect women in sports.

Lia Thomas was barred from competing in women's sports by World Aquatics

Lia Thomas was barred from competing in women's sports by World Aquatics

Getty

ADF President Kristen Waggoner was present alongside the likes of Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies and US college star Lainey Armistead.

Waggoner insisted it was up to "our institutions, our government officials and our parents should be standing (up) for them".

She added: "The reality is that an average male athlete can often beat an elite female athlete on the field.

"This is why so many sports have been separated on the basis of sex," she said.

"The creation of female athletic spaces has never been about division, it's about recognizing objective, biological differences and empowering women and girls - in light of those differences - to reward genuine merit.

"The science demonstrates that males have an insurmountable advantage over females and there is no amount of testosterone suppressants that takes away that advantage."

Alsalem presented the report to United Nations General Assembly earlier this month where she called out governing bodies for not doing enough to protect women in sports.

“Some sports federations mandate testosterone suppression for athletes in order to qualify for female categories in elite sports," she wrote.

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Valentina Petrillo competed at this year's Paralympics

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"However, pharmaceutical testosterone suppression for genetically male athletes — irrespective of how they identify — will not eliminate the set of comparative performance advantages they have already acquired.

“This approach may not only harm the health of the athlete concerned, but it also fails to achieve its stated objective.

"Therefore, the testosterone levels deemed acceptable by any sporting body are, at best, not evidence-based, arbitrary and asymmetrically favour males.”

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The ECB are set to ban transgender athletes from female-only competitions

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It was recently reported that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are set to ban all transgender athletes from competing at the highest level.

Governing bodies in the UK have made major changes to their transgender policies in recent years, but the ECB were one of a few that previously allowed anyone who identified as a woman to take part in elite-level female-only competitions.

But the ECB are now set to follow in the footsteps of cycling, swimming, rowing and athletics by banning transgender players from the professional and semi-professional level in the women's game.

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