TRANSGENDER’S RIGHTS TO SPORT COMPETITIONS FOLLOWING THE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (2021)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17770/sie2024vol2.7861Keywords:
gender identity, human rights, International Olympic Committee, sports competition, transgenderAbstract
The topic of human rights is taking on new relevant forms, especially when it comes to transgender rights. Their right to participate in sports has always been a subject of much debate. In November 2021 the International Olympic Committee adopted the new recommendations “Framework on Equity, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Intersex” on transgender people, which declared that each federation has to decide for itself when setting its own rules regarding the right of these people to participate in sports competitions. So, one thing is clear there is no common position on this issue. The article aims to reveal the practical aspects of such regulation regarding the possibilities and limitations of transgender participation in individual sports. The applied research methods are analysis of legal acts and other documents, review of articles and scientific literature, and qualitative comparative analysis. The research results showed that despite the principles specified in the Framework prohibiting discrimination, in practice these principles can be difficult to harmonize, especially if we speak about fair competition and equal opportunities.
References
Barrera, E., Millington, K., Kremen, J. (2021). The Medical Implications of Banning Transgender Youth from Sport Participation. JAMA Pediatric, 176(3),223-224. Retrieved from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2786338
Birnbaum, A., Karamitopoulos, A. & Carter, C. W. (2022). Musculoskeletal health considerations for the transgender athlete. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 51(5), 387-393.Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913847.2022.2057787
Bydzovsky, P. (2023). The status of transgender and intersex athletes in international sports federations. The International Sports Law Journal, 23, 357–367. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40318-023-00250-9
Cooper, J. (2023). Fair Competition and Inclusion in Sport: Avoiding the Marginalization of Intersex and Trans Women Athletes. Philosophies, 8(2), 28. Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/8/2/28
Court of Arbitration for Sport. (2023). Sport and Human Rights (Overview from a CAS perspective). Retrieved from: https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Human_Rights_in_Sport__November_2023_.pdf
Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes (2023). World Athletics. Retrieved from: file:///C:/Users/Administrator/Downloads/C3.5%20%E2%80%93%20Eligibility%20Regulations%20Transgender%20Athlete.pdf
Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes (Chapter V, Part 13 – Medical Rules). Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved from: https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/4IN1nV5fhXCZLfbbrvSKMc/40c4453ae53655796e148573ca008ecf/20230714_Modification_Transgender_Regulation_Juillet_2023_ENG_red.pdf
Hamdan, J. L., Shipper, A. G., Roth, S., and Zisman-Ilani, Y. (2023). Disparities in sport participation of transgender women: a systematic and scoping review protocol. BMJ Journals, 13(7): e074054. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10357786/
Hardwicke, J., Roberts, C. J., Anderson, E., Magrath R. (2023). Drafting behind LGB: Transgender athletes in the sport of cycling. Sage Journals. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 59 (1), 58-81. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10126902231178613
Humphrys, J. (2019). Transgender Athletes: Fair or Unfair Competition? YouGov UK. Retrieved from: https://yougov.co.uk/sport/articles/22603-john-humphrys-transgender-athletes-fair-or-unfair-
International Federations. Retrieved from: https://olympics.com/ioc/international-federations
International Olympic Committee. Framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations (2021). Retrieved from: https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Beyond-the-Games/Human-Rights/IOC-Framework-Fairness-Inclusion-Non-discrimination-2021.pdf
Jakubowska, H. (2023). Who counts as a woman? A critical discourse analysis of petitions against the participation of transgender athletes in women's sport. Sage Journals. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10126902231194570
Larsen, D. (2022). Hurdles for Transgender Athletes: States Passing Bans on Transgender Athletes Primes a Fight over Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment. HeinOnline. 95-118. Retrieved from: https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/lsex31&div=8&id=&page=
Madeline, M., McGovern, M.D., Natalie, A., Lowenstein, M.P.H., Elizabeth, G. Matzkin, M.D. (2023). Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 5(4), 100736. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666061X23000780
Nair, A., (2023). Explainer: What is World Athletics' proposal to tighten transgender rules? Reuters. Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/what-is-world-athletics-proposal-tighten-transgender-rules-2023-03-23/
Pigozzi, F. et al. (2022). Joint position statement of the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) and European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA) on the IOC framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination based on gender identity and sex variations. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 8(1). Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8739444/#R1
Schultz, J., Baeth, A., Lieberman, A., Pieper, L. P., Sharrow, E. A. (2022). The Future of Women's Sport Includes Transgender Women and Girls. Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender. Justice for Trans Athletes, 17-29. Retrieved from: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-80262-985-920221002/full/html
Scovel, S., Nelson, M., Thorpe, H. (2023). Media Framings of the Transgender Athlete as “Legitimate Controversy”: The Case of Laurel Hubbard at the Tokyo Olympics. Sage Journals, Communication & Sport, 11(5), 838–853. Retrieved from: https://journals-sagepub-om.skaitykla.mruni.eu/doi/full/10.1177/21674795221116884
Semenya v. Switzerland (10934/21) (Semenya c. Suisse -French version). European Court of Human Rights. Retrieved from: https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-225768%22]}
Spitznagel, E. (2021). Trans women athletes have unfair advantage over those born female: testosterone. New York Post. Retrieved from: https://nypost.com/2021/07/10/trans-women-athletes-have-unfair-advantage-over-those-born-female/
World Anti-Doping Code (2021). Retrieved from: https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/2021_wada_code.pdf
World Anti-Doping Code, International Standard Prohibited List (2024). Retrieved from: https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/2024list_en_final_22_september_2023.pdf
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
How to Cite
