A United Nations report showed that as of 30 March 2024, more than 600 female athletes in over 400 events have lost more than 890 medals to their transgender counterparts in 29 different sports.
The study titled “Violence against women and girls in sports” prepared by Jordanian civil servant and UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem details the disadvantages and obstacles women around the world face in sports because of their gender. The report also found that more than 600 female athletes have been defeated in various competitions by male-born rivals. However, the report does not specify at which sporting events the medals were won and over what period of time.
Male athletes have certain characteristics, including higher strength and testosterone levels, that give them advantages in certain sports and can lead to a “loss of fair opportunity” for female opponents, the study said.
“Some sports federations mandate testosterone suppression for athletes in order to qualify for female categories in elite sports. 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,” Alsalem wrote.
“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,” according to her.
The knowledge of female athletes that they may be competing against males included in female sports, including males that identify as females or males with specific XY differences in sex development, causes extreme psychological distress due to the physical disadvantage, the loss of opportunity for fair competition and of educational and economic opportunities and the violation of their privacy in locker rooms and other intimate spaces, the report said.
Alsalem presented the results of her study and called on the UN to take better measures to protect women and girls in sport. As the mere presence of transgender athletes in women’s sports causes serious psychological distress to the participants.
The report refers to the bias arising from the need to support the LGBTQ+ community: “Female athletes and coaches who object to the inclusion of men in their spaces due to concerns about safety, privacy and fairness are silenced or forced to self-censor; otherwise, they risk losing sporting opportunities, scholarships78 and sponsorships.”
The report further added that “Removing single-sex spaces in sports may also increase the risk of sexual harassment, assault, voyeurism and physical and sexual attacks in unisex locker rooms and toilets.”
On top of the transgender debate, Alsalem said that women already face multiple forms of violence when it comes to sport. She cited harmful social stereotypes, widespread sexism and limited access to educational institutions, infrastructure and resources as examples.
“Women and girls already have many odds stacked against them that impede their equal and effective participation in sports. In addition, their ability to play sport in conditions of safety, dignity and fairness has been further eroded by the intrusion of males who identify as female in female-only sports and related spaces,” she said.
The report comes at a time when the issue of transgender participation in women’s sport remains high on the agenda ahead of the election. Earlier during the Paris Olympics, Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif was heavily criticised for her gender.
