goglbands.blogg.se - T & b sports

The point of all that is that if there were no evidence at all, I would say that an exclusion policy would be the prudent start point. Until it can be shown that that advantage doesn't persist or exist in trans women, then I would say that there's no basis to allow trans women in. Tucker: The point of the women's category is to exclude male advantage, which comes as a result of testosterone. Should transgender women be banned from women's sport? Swimmer Lia Thomas is the first known transgender athlete to win the highest US national college title It leaves behind a significant portion of what gives males sporting performance advantages over females. Lowering the testosterone has some effect on those systems, but it's not complete, and so for the most part, whatever the biological differences are that were created by testosterone persist even in the presence of testosterone reduction - or, if I put that differently, even after testosterone levels are lowered. Tucker: When boys reach the age of 13-14, things start to change physically and we see increased muscle mass, bone density changes the shape of the skeleton, changes the heart and the lung, haemoglobin levels, and all of those things are significant contributors to performance. Yes, it's true that competition can often come down to a very small margin, but there are, in any competition, many factors that come into overall performance and just saying that 'oh, somebody has an advantage' in one factor doesn't necessarily determine the outcome. Trans women can have disadvantages because their larger frames are now being powered by reduced muscle mass and reduced aerobic capacity, but that's not as obvious as the advantages of simply being bigger. So the question isn't 'do trans women have advantages?' - but instead, 'can trans women and women compete against one another in meaningful competition?' Truthfully, the answer isn't definitive yet. The size difference means there's no such thing as meaningful competition between big boxers and little boxers. No matter how hard the little boxer works, trains, how competitive they are, they can't beat a big boxer. However, you never put a big boxer in the ring with a little boxer, no matter how good the little boxer is. It is perhaps most marked in fencing where 40% of elite fencers are left-handed versus 10% of the population is left-handed.īut right-handed fencers and left-handed fencers can engage in meaningful competition despite the advantages that left-handed fencers have. Left-handed athletes have advantages over right-handed athletes in many sports. Harper: Advantages are not necessarily unfair, and let me use two examples, one where the advantages aren't unfair and one where they are.

Q&A: Transgender women in sport - key questions answeredĭo transgender women hold an unfair advantage over female athletes?.

Transgender athletes: 'Protect women's sport', say two British elite athletes.

Listen to The Sports Desk podcast: Sport’s transgender conundrum.

You will also hear from Dr Seema Patel, a lawyer who argues other factors - such as human rights - must be considered. Here, Tucker and Harper answer the key questions being debated from a science perspective.

She studies the effects of transition on female transgender athletes.

Joanna Harper is a sports scientist and is transgender herself.

Ross Tucker is a sports scientist who says the physiological differences established during puberty can create "significant performance advantages (between men and women)".

The debate centres around the balance of inclusion, sporting fairness and safety in women's sport - essentially, whether trans women can compete in female categories without their biological sex giving them an unfair advantage or presenting a threat of injury to other competitors.Īs part of The Sports Desk podcast's look at the debate, BBC Sport spoke to two scientists who offer views from opposing sides.