Following the decision by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) to restrict transgender athletes from competing in elite women’s swimming competitions if they have gone through any part of male puberty, UK Secretary of State for Technology, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries has backed FINA’s decision and said she would encourage UK governing bodies to implement the same measures.
During a radio interview with LCB channel, Dorris welcomed the new policy and said he would hold a roundtable where sporting chief executives and key performance officers would be encouraged to agree a clear direction for travel based on the evidence in the sports councils’ report. The meeting is expected to take place in a few weeks.
I have long been of the opinion that FINA has reached today, and I have discussed this with my management and developed a policy. We are about to hold a roundtable meeting with all the governing bodies of the sport. It is simply unacceptable for transgender women to compete in women’s sport.
Noting that FINA had made “absolutely the right decision,” Dorris added:
It is important that trans women who want to compete are able to do so fairly. I am just saying that fairness should always trump inclusion. It is important to make sure that these trans women have their own category to compete in.
Furthermore, he emphasized the fact that although people are free to choose their gender and are supported to do so, biology is inevitable:
No one is banned from playing sports, but justice must come first. pic.twitter.com/MtgARR93y1
-Art by Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) June 20, 2022
You can transition to be a man or you can transition to be a woman and the government will help you and give you all the love and support you need to do that, but you cannot compete in a sport of a gender you were not born into. With.
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) General Congress has restricted the participation of transgender women in sport after hearing from a working group that included athletes, scientists and medical experts.
The policy, which went into effect on June 20, will open eligibility to athletes who have “complete androgen insensitivity and therefore cannot experience male puberty.” Currently, there are no restrictions on transgender men.
However, the body has also committed to forming a working group within the next six months to create an “open” category for transgender women at some sporting events.
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