Overall Focus of the Report
In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem, explores the various forms, causes and consequences of violence against women and girls in sports.
Key Points on Men in Women’s Sports
1. Fairness and Safety
- The report highlights that allowing males who identify as women to compete in women’s sports creates a fundamental unfairness because of the biological advantages males retain even after transition.
- These advantages include muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular capacity, and other sex-linked traits.
- It notes that these differences are well-documented and not fully mitigated by hormone treatment.
Reem reported “the least powerful man produced more power than the most powerful woman” and that where men and women have roughly the same levels of fitness, males’ average punching power has been measured as 162 per cent greater than females
2. Displacement of Women
- Female athletes lose opportunities to compete, win, and access scholarships, sponsorships, and career advancement.
- The report cites instances where women have been forced off podiums or excluded from finals due to the participation of male-bodied competitors.
‘So far over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports’
3. Chilling Effect on Women Speaking Out
- Women athletes who object face backlash, censorship, or sanction from sporting bodies and institutions.
- Fear of being labelled “transphobic” silences many from voicing concerns about fairness.
4. Human Rights Conflict
- The report frames the inclusion of male-bodied athletes in female categories as a direct conflict between sex-based protections under CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) and newly created rights based on “gender identity.”
- It argues that women’s right to fair and safe competition is being sacrificed to accommodate gender identity claims.
5. Case Studies and Evidence
- The report references multiple sporting codes internationally where policies favour inclusion of transgender-identified males over fairness for women.
- It notes that some international federations (such as in swimming and athletics) are beginning to reverse course by restoring female-only categories.
Summary
The Special Rapporteur’s report concludes that gender identity policies are eroding women’s sex-based rights across multiple domains, with women’s sport standing out as one of the clearest examples. It stresses that:
Restoring sex-based categories in sport is necessary to uphold international commitments to women’s rights.Reem Alsalem has stated ‘female athletes are more vulnerable to sustaining serious physical injuries when female-only sports spaces are opened to males’.
Women cannot compete on equal terms with male-bodied athletes.
Allowing men into women’s sports undermines fairness, safety, and opportunity for women and girls.