A week after superstar swimmer Emma McKeon said transgender athletes don’t belong in the pool, Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates says sport must find a way to include everyone.
The transgender debate is once again raging, thanks to Australian politicians using it as a campaign tool ahead of the upcoming federal election.
Aussie Olympic hero McKeon last week weighed in on the issue.
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“I personally wouldn’t want to be racing against someone who is biologically a male, so that’s a concern,” McKeon said at a university seminar.
“It’s not a new thing, but it’s new in that sport, swimming, are going to have to deal with it.”
Coates, though, is fighting for the right of transgender people to compete in professional sport.
As vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, Coates played a role in designing the new guidelines around transgender athletes at the Games.
Those new guidelines were officially implemented after the Winter Olympics in February, and will now be used going forward.
“The IOC established 10 fundamental principles in November last year,” Coates told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Basically, it shouldn’t be a disadvantage if you are competing against someone who is transgender. You shouldn’t be changing your body in order to compete in sport. It’s about fair play, all of those things,” Coates said.
“We decided that one size doesn’t fit all. We have three sports at the moment where we believe transgender athletes don’t have an advantage; horse riding, archery and shooting. And our recommendation is that it is a matter for each of the sports.
“Even within a sport, the benefit of being transgender varies as to what event you are in.
“The sports need to come up with their own principles. There is a place for transgender people.
“We also have to make sure that girls and women aren’t being prejudiced against.”
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