Former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies celebrated the decision by World Athletics to ban trans-identifying athletes from women’s events, publicly thanking the organization’s president, two-time 1,500 meters Olympic champion Sebastian Coe.
The World Athletics Council updated the eligibility regulations for trans-identifying athletes, writing, “The new regulations will require any relevant athletes to reduce their testosterone levels below a limit of 2.5 nmol/L for a minimum of 24 months to compete internationally in the female category in any event, not just the events that were restricted (400m to one mile) under the previous regulations.”
“In regard to transgender athletes, the Council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female World Rankings competition from 31 March 2023,” the Council continued.
“Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations,” Coe stated. “We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount.”
“Thank you Seb Coe and World Athletics for standing up for female athletes across the world who are worthy of fair sport,” Davies tweeted.
Thank you @sebcoe & @WorldAthletics for standing up for female athletes across the world who are worthy of fair sport 😭👏🏻
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) March 23, 2023
“Thank you so much all of you who’ve had my back here & over the last few years,” Davies, who has been fighting for years to keep women’s sport just for women, tweeted. “So many great messages. It has been hard I won’t lie, your support has kept us all going, fighting for what is simply ‘right’ & ‘fair.’ It amazes me how we ever found ourselves here, again, after the GDR years. The IOC learnt nothing! Hopefully we have our sport back. Sport is for all but only where you qualify in the fair category for your biological reality. We’ll keep fighting till all girls sport is protected.”
Thank you so much all of you who’ve had my back here & over the last few years. So many great messages. It has been hard I won’t lie, your support has kept us all going, fighting for what is simply ‘ right’ & ‘fair’. It amazes me how we ever found ourselves here, again, after the… pic.twitter.com/8AbFhXOWhh
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) March 24, 2023
“Women are not a testosterone level,” she added. “This was always a bogus argument & should never have been considered. A waste of time & money. Male biology advantage cannot be fully mitigated against. And females of all ages in all sports are deserving of fair, safe sport as much as males get. No one’s banned from sport just a category they don’t qualify for.”
Women are not a testosterone level. This was always a bogus argument & should never have been considered. A waste of time & money. Male biology advantage cannot be fully mitigated against. And females of all ages in all sports are deserving of fair, safe sport as much as males…
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) March 23, 2023
In the 1980 Olympics, Davies won the silver medal in the 400 m individual medley, losing the gold to East German Petra Schneider, who later confessed she had used banned drugs to enhance her performance. Davies said in 2021 that she hoped the gold medal would properly be restored to her, saying, “It would be lovely if it was recognized.”
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“After 20 yrs ( Yeap 20 years) of the IOC allowing testosterone fuelled East Germans athletes to dominate women’s sport in the 70s& 80s I was always going to die on the hill of FAIR sport for females, so a whole new generation didn’t have to suffer the same fate because of terrible governance,” she recalled.
After 20 yrs ( Yeap 20 years) of the IOC allowing testosterone fuelled East Germans athletes to dominate women’s sport in the 70s& 80s I was always going to die on the hill of FAIR sport for females, so a whole new generation didn’t have to suffer the same fate because of…
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) March 23, 2023
When a critic lashed out, “A whole lot of whataboutery there. My t level is likely way below any top female athlete. Perhaps you’d like to tell us what yours was when you won your medals?” Davies fired back, “Less than 1nml per liter of blood my whole career as is the vast majority of elite females. Plus I did not go through male puberty, next question?”