Two British male athletes who have undertaken sex reassignment surgery are to compete in women’s events at this year’s Olympic games, it has emerged.
If the unnamed athletes are selected by their sport’s governing body, they will be the first transgender Olympians.
Many have strongly criticised the move due to the unfair advantage of greater size, muscle mass and lung capacity.
Altered guidelines
International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines have been dramatically altered to allow transgender athletes to compete, even without having reassignment surgery. Instead, the athletes need only to declare themselves as male or female and show that their testosterone levels have been below a certain level for a year.
Earlier this year, the IOC issued a statement saying: “To require surgical anatomical changes as a precondition to participation is not necessary to preserve fair competition and may be inconsistent with developing legislation and notions of human rights.”
Competed as ‘women’
The British athletes set to compete undertook sex reassignment surgery two years ago, and have since competed as ‘women’.
‘Delia Johnston’, a man who identifies as a transgender woman and runs an organization called ‘Trans in Sport’, said:
“They should be selected but they fear they will be deemed too tricky—too many issues, too much negativity.”
Olympic team members are initially selected by their own sport’s governing body. Nominees then go before a British Olympic Association panel to be ratified.
Johnston continued: “Their national sports federations are aware of their gender history.
“If they were in a gold or silver medal position they would probably drop back because their fear of ridicule and total humiliation is so massive.”
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SOURCE: Christian Concern
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