(Sports news) It’s been a point of contention about the participation of transgender women in women’s sporting events. In order to understand whether they should or shouldn’t, let’s go back to why male and female sports were segregated in the first place. Why is it necessary for there to be distinct categories between sporting events involving the two genders and importantly, are these questions applicable today or is it no longer relevant?

Fundamentally, the reasons behind segregating sports according to gender is because bodies that have developed with higher testosterone are scientifically proven to be bigger and more powerful than those that have not. Which is why testosterone supplements are forbidden in contests involving physical prowess. However, when bodies that have developed male look to compete on a level playing field with bodies that didn’t develop as male, it will naturally give some degree of advantage to the former, irrespective of skill or talent. 

While sports should be inclusive, it’s also important to create a level playing field for all participants. It takes decades of hard work, sacrifice, skill and talent to reach the highest level of any sport, and could definitely be disheartening for an athlete to lose out on their dream of winning a medal like the Olympic gold simply because a competitor has advantages because of being assigned a different gender at birth. 

The sports industry needs a “progressive” mindset, but placing biological males against biological females is a regressive outlook, one which can easily be misconstrued as misogynistic rather than inclusive. The world may be inherently unfair, time and again athletes from richer nations tend to win medals at the biggest sporting competitions in the world because of access to better coaches, infrastructure, nutrition etc. If that’s not all, athletes within their gender groups are also blessed with better genes that give them a definite advantage over their peers in sporting competitions. 

However, eliminating gender division in sport, at the expense of creating a level playing field is a policy decision, one that’s well within the control of decision makers. There might be double standards, as transgender men who were born as women and compete in men’s competitions are at a disadvantage, and in society, overcoming odds is considered to be a more acceptable norm than having an unfair advantage, especially in sporting competitions. There have been calls for a separate category for transgender women to compete in, but it may harm the self image and dignity of those who consider themselves women. In conclusion, there might not be a right answer to this question, however, as the writer of this article I'm leaning towards the fact that biological men should not be competing against women in sports. 

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