USOPC proposes "open" category for transgender athletes
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The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is encouraging sports federations to consider "open" categories to ensure transgender athletes have events to participate in.
The big picture: Though this represents a path forward for trans sports participation, it brushes aside the real issue, which is that trans women want to be able to compete against other women.
State of play: Different sports organizations have their own rules regarding trans inclusion, usually involving testosterone levels and time spent undergoing hormone replacement therapy.
- But those rules often change, creating a "landscape [that] may leave ... athletes feeling uncertain regarding their eligibility status," reads the USOPC's position paper, released Monday.
- Open divisions are not a novel idea — the British Triathlon Federation, for example, already has one — but the USOPC's broad influence could ostensibly lead to widespread adoption.
Between the lines: The proposal was based on the principle that science and "fairness" should guide all major decisions, AP notes. It is "fairness" that has always driven this debate.
- Those opposed to trans athletes competing in their desired division argue that trans girls — like former Penn swimmer Lia Thomas — have an unfair physical advantage over athletes assigned female at birth.
- Those for inclusion argue that the science regarding physical advantages is inconclusive and that it's unfair to force trans women into an open division that may not field enough participants for a legitimate competition.
The bottom line: This will be an ongoing discussion as sports federations consider the USOPC's recommendation, which represents something of a lateral move.
