Former Great Britain Olympic medalist Sharron Davies criticized trans athlete Cece Telfer for participating in a women’s event, stating that it amounts to cheating.
Davies made this statement following Telfer’s historic win as the first openly transgender athlete to secure an NCAA title in 2019, and Telfer’s recent participation in the Women’s Invitational 60m hurdles event in Boston in February.
Successfully
Youtube
According to The Daily Mail, Telfer successfully advanced to the final of the event after securing fifth place in the preliminary races.
However, Telfer allegedly chose to disqualify during the crucial deciding race.
Sharron Davies’ reaction was triggered by a photo of Telfer circulating on social media. A video showing Telfer warming up for the race was also shared, depicting the sprinter jumping and stretching at the starting blocks.
Davies wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Spot the male athlete in the women’s race! It’s simply cheating.”
Davies won silver
pixabay
Swimmer Davies won silver in the 1980 400m medley at the Moscow Olympics and is among other former athletes challenging trans athletes participating in women’s sports.
For her efforts, the 61-year-old has faced a backlash from transgender activists who have reportedly targeted her children’s school in response.
Davies previously dismissed NIKE’s decision to partner with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney to model women’s sports bras and leggings.
Davies called NIKE’s decision “a kick in the teeth to women.” Davies said Mulvaney’s portrayal of women in the ad seemed like a “parody.”
Run like a girl
Youtube
“In the past, it was always seen as an insult to say, ‘run like a girl’ — and here we’ve got someone behaving in a way that’s very un-sportslike, that’s very unathletic. And it’s so frustrating when only 1% of USA sponsorship dollars go to actual females in sport that they would do this.”
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) implemented a policy to prevent transgender females from participating in women’s sports. The NAIA Council of Presidents unanimously approved this significant measure with a 20-0 vote.
This updated regulation now applies to all competitions, replacing the previous rule that solely pertained to postseason events, as reported by CBS Sports.
“We know there are a lot of different opinions out there,” NAIA President Jim Carr told CBS Sports. “For us, we believed our first responsibility was to create fairness and competition in the NAIA.”
Title IX
pixabay
“We also think it aligns with the reasons Title IX was created. You’re allowed to have separate but equal opportunities for women to compete.”
All athletes under the jurisdiction of the NAIA are required to compete in the gender category corresponding to their birth assignment.
Carr emphasized that transgender athletes are still permitted to engage in sports activities.
“It’s important to know that the male sports are open to anyone,” Carr explained.
Exhibition matches
Youtube
Furthermore, the regulation allows for transgender athletes to take part in exhibition matches and non-NAIA sanctioned events.
This policy stands in sharp contrast to the NCAA’s approach, where the eligibility criteria for transgender athletes are determined by the governing bodies of each sport.
“College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America, and the NCAA will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports, and ensure fair competition for all student-athletes in all NCAA championships,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Riley Gaines
pixabay
Riley Gaines and a coalition of former female athletes have filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, alleging a violation of their Title IX rights.
They claim that the organization compelled them to compete against and share changing facilities with a transgender athlete.
“The task force spent nearly two years reviewing research, meeting with experts to better understand potential policy challenges, and obtaining feedback from multiple membership groups,” said Amy Novak, the chair of the Council of Presidents and President of St. Ambrose University.
NAIA
pixabay
“With this policy, the NAIA has made its best effort to allow for the inclusion of transgender athletes in any way that does not impact the competitive fairness of women’s sports.”
“Our priority is to protect the integrity of women’s athletics and allow them equal opportunity to succeed.”
Before the vote, a survey was conducted where 58 out of the 67 university presidents and chancellors who participated indicated their backing for the proposed rule modification.
