Former Team GB swimmer Sharron Davies says transgender athletes should not be allowed to participate in the female field in order to “protect women’s sport.”
Davies spoke to BBC Sport and said her views were not transphobic, suggesting she has the support of some fellow friends in the sport industry who agree transgender women shouldn’t be permitted to compete against other women:
“It is not a transphobic thing – I really want to say we have no issue with people who are transgender. Every single woman athlete I’ve spoken to, and I have spoken to many, all of my friends in international sports, understand and feel the same way as me.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people who are in the races [now] are in a very difficult predicament when they can’t speak out. It maybe falls to the people who were competing [in the past] who would understand the predicament that is being faced at the moment to try to create a debate, and try to explain how we feel there needs to be a fair and level playing field.”
She echoed the sentiments of 18-time tennis Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova, who said earlier this week that transgender women competing in the sport were “cheating,” because of the physical advantages they possess.
