‘The argument is between Fairness and inclusion. It will be difficult to resolve’
Former UK Olympic chair on the trans rights debate rocking international sport
Deciding how trans sportsmen and women can be included and compete fairly in elite sport will continue to test governing bodies, according to one of Britain’s most experienced sports administrators.
Sir Craig Reedie, the former president of the World AntiDoping Authority ( WADA) and chairman of the British Olympic Committee, said the ongoing controversy around the issue will be difficult to resolve.
Reedie said: “There’s an argument between fairness and inclusion and it’s very difficult to resolve. International federations have been asked by the International Olympic Committee, who have said they can’t resolve it, to look at this issue. The federations seem to be coming down on the side of fairness.
“Instinctively, coming from an international federation background, I have sympathy for their problems.
“One of the problems is social media. It’s a desperate situation as far as that is concerned. People are as free to be as abusive and difficult as they want, and that just makes the situation worse.
“It is a point of division, but the problem at the moment is the science, and the science varies. Simply, no one size fits all.
“You will find sporting bodies want to find a solution and will back inclusion, wherever they are.”
Last week, swimming’s world governing body FINA voted to effectively ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s elite races, saying instead it would investigate creating a third “open” category where trans athletes could compete.
The d e c i s i o n came a fter Pennsylvania University swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender National Collegiate Athletic Association champion in her category after winning the women’s 500- yard freestyle in March.
Reedie, from Stirling, who has written his memoirs detailing his career in elite sport, said: “I hope in practice swimming might have come up with some form of solution. Their idea you might have
some form of open category might work.
“That could be done at a swimming gala, you could extend it by a couple of hours for certain strokes.
“If that became fulfilling and successful and, with a sufficient number of athletes, it might open up the Olympic Games as well.”
FINA’S decision wasn’t welcomed by all, however.
A third category still leaves trans women athletes excluded, according to Athlete Ally, which advocates for LGBT athletics.
And Olympic champion diver Tom Daley said the ban left him “furious”.
Delivering London’s Olympic Dream: A Long Life In Sport by Sir Craig Reedie is published by Fonthill Media on Thursday