Call on Minister to act on UN Special Rapporteur Report on Women’s Sport

Women Speak Tasmania have called on the Minister for Sport to take action following UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls Reem Alsalem’s report on women’s sports.

With consideration to Algerian professional boxer Imane Khelif Olympics boxing fiasco and numerous other cases of trans-identified males competing in women’s sports, Reem Alsalem has stated ‘female athletes are more vulnerable to sustaining serious physical injuries when female-only sports spaces are opened to males’.

In one study 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

The report highlights the lost opportunities for females when men that identify as women are allowed to participate in women’s sports,

‘So far over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports’

Critical of the Olympics boxing fiasco Reem’s report stated ‘at the 2024 Paris Olympics, female boxers had to compete against two boxers whose sex as females was seriously contested, but The International Olympic Committee refused to carry out a sex screening. Current  technology enables a reliable sex screening procedure through a simple cheek swab that ensures non-invasiveness, confidentiality and dignity.’

https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a79325-report-special-rapporteur-violence-against-women-and-girls-its

WST Spokesperson Dr Elizabeth Caballero said:

‘Women Speak Tasmania have already recieved complaints about trans-identified males taking the place of women in 5 sports including:  soccer, netball, cycling, ten pin bowling and lawn bowls’.

Trans identifying people can have the opportunity to play at sports level in proper mixed categories or according to their biological sex.

Everyone deserves to participate but not at the expense of women’s sports.

ENDS –