Rugby is right to put player safety before identity issues
WORlD RUGBY has come to a decision. It is a sensible decision. It is the safest decision. Now let’s see if it flies in 2020. After six months of consultation, scientific analysis and research, World Rugby have reached the conclusion that men are not women on the sports field, even if they identify as such. It is incredibly hard to say that now. The modern consensus is that a person can be whatever gender they choose and to argue otherwise is hateful. That’s no use in rugby, sadly. In rugby, if everyone gets to pick a side, someone could die. So decisions must be made that go against the grain. World
Rugby convened a meeting in February to begin work on reconciling trans issues and player welfare, specifically whether a person transitioning or identifying as a woman could participate safely in women’s rugby. The conclusion was they could not. A person who has gone through male puberty retains significant physical advantages over a born female, even if taking medication to lower testosterone. This equates to being stronger by 25-50 per cent, heavier by 40 per cent and faster by 15 per cent. And, potentially, that is dangerous. At this point of discovery, modern sensibilities are
of less importance: a 38-page draft document taking into account the views and work of scientists and medical experts estimated a ‘20-30 per cent greater risk’ of physical injury for females tackling any player who has experienced male puberty. The report also reveals testosterone suppressants result in ‘only small reductions in strength and no loss in bone mass or muscle volume’. This, for now, should be the end of it. World rugby has said it will continue funding research into new evidence and will review any that emerges. No ban is in place yet, either. The paper has merely been sent to unions for feedback. Indeed, one can almost feel the contortions as World rugby try to be fair and inclusive. yet, in a sport with such extreme risk attached, that has been forced to confront fatality and life-altering injury, surely player welfare sits above all. As it should in other sports, such as mixed martial arts, that could benefit from World rugby’s thoughtfulness and concern. This is not about transgender exclusion. The proposals also recommend that transgender men — a person assigned female at birth — should be free to play men’s rugby. Inclusivity, however, meets its match in player welfare. Safety is more than an identity issue.