The majority of the elite female athletes questioned for a new research back up the notion that women’s sports are classified by biological sex more than gender identity.
58 % of respondents in favor of classification, according to the analysis from Manchester Metropolitan and Swansea institutions, and it was released on Wednesday.
Among’world group ‘ runners who had competed in Olympic or World Championship championships, that percentage increased to 77 % for those competing in their own activities.
Nevertheless, the majority of athletes competing in non-Olympic activities believe changing type should be allowed, with a highest price of 74 % among those in’precision’ activities such as weightlifting.
The study, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, is the largest of its kind to day, assessing the opinions of 175 nationwide, elite and world class female athletes- present and withdrew- from a range of sports and countries.
Respondents include 26 world champions, 22 Olympians and six Paralympians, and shows for the first time that opinion varies according to career stage, competition level and sport type.
More than 100 renowned British sportswomen would be uneasy with transgender women competing in female categories in their sport, according to a BBC Sport study released in March.
Many people in the debate over the inclusion of transgender athletes claim that they should n’t compete in elite women’s sports because of any physical advantages they might have, but others claim that sport should be more diverse.
The debate centres on the balance of inclusion, sporting fairness and safety in women’s sport- essentially, whether transgender women can compete in female categories without an unfair advantage.
The current International Olympic Committee guidelines effectively allow individual sports to decide the best way to balance inclusion and fairness, allowing the last two years for the world’s leading athletics, aquatics, and cycling to outlaw transgender women from female competition.
British Triathlon became the first British sporting organization to establish a separate category for transgender athletes in 2022.
The UK’s Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, demanded on sporting organizations on Tuesday to “take an unambiguous position” and outlaw transgender athletes competing in elite women’s sports.
What is the conclusion of the new research?
The majority of athletes surveyed were from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada and competed in sports such as athletics, canoeing, ice/speed skating, swimming, hockey and curling.
In the new research, athletes answered questions based on different contexts of elite sport, for example sports heavily reliant on’physical capacity’ such as sprinting ,’precision sports ‘ such as archery and’contact sports ‘ such as rugby union.
Most athletes in the current Olympic sport should not be able to switch categories, with the highest percentage (93 % ) among those competing at a world-class level in a sport heavily reliant on physical capacity.
Of the 175 respondents, 68 are retired, with 83 % of those supporting categories based on biological sex, compared to 64 % of current Olympic sport athletes.
Additionally, according to the research, 94 % of female athletes do n’t have any negative views about gender transition in general, while 91 % of female athletes believe governing bodies should be doing more to promote gender equality. Of those surveyed, 66 % believe transgender athletes are treated unfairly across sport.
Sporting federations must take into account differences in opinion, according to Alun Williams, professor of sport and exercise genomics at the Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport.
According to the report, these attitudes demonstrate that any desire for restrictions on participation is” not likely to be based on negativity toward transgender people, but rather to be based on the desire for fair competition and the capacity to win.”
The report’s authors say they hope this study will serve as a valuable resource for sport’s governing bodies when it comes to developing guidelines regarding the eligibility and inclusion of transgender athletes in the future by publishing the questions in full.
However, according to the study,” specific considerations are required for the differences between those with the greatest potential for rewards, such as world-class athletes, and those who wo n’t be directly impacted by policy decisions, such as retired athletes.”
In a frequently heated debate, Swansea University’s Dr. Shane Heffernan said,” Our research provides evidence that governing bodies can use confidently knowing that it is based on work done using the scientific method and peer review.”
” Sports attitudes vary regarding the inclusion of transgender athletes at all levels of sport that we assessed. Nuance must be used when making policy decisions that impact athletes ‘ lives and occasionally their livelihoods.
According to the opinions of high-level athletes, transgender inclusion is valued, but fairness must be given priority for athletes at the highest level of competition. “
A week after the publication of research from the University of Brighton, which was funded by the IOC, which claimed it found that transgender women performed worse in some metrics than female athletes, the research from MMU and Swansea is published.
The findings, according to authors of the Brighton study, suggest that sporting governing bodies should exercise more caution before imposing a mandatory ban on transgender women from the female category.
According to 2021 census data, 0. One in ten people in England and Wales identified as transgender women, with the same proportion identifying as transgender men.
