This year’s Olympic Games in Paris provided an unexpected boost to the complex gender debate. Organizers and the IOC allowed two female athletes who were recently male to participate. Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting have been the subject of heated debate, as they are both transgender women who oppose women in boxing matches.
The problem of the participation of athletes with intersex and transgender features in sports competitions is becoming more and more relevant and causes heated discussions. Gender tests and issues of competition fairness are becoming central topics of discussion, creating divisions among sports organizations, politicians and society as a whole.
“Right Hook”: La Repubblica
The Roman newspaper La Repubblica is clear on the subject:
“She is a woman, not a man who beats a woman. As always, athletes are used by those who seek political gain. A female boxer, who has a full right to participate in the Olympic Games, is exposed as a threat to her opponent, in this case – Italian women. Unlucky: part of our political environment was just waiting for an opportunity to put on boxing gloves and start throwing punches without any technical or medical arguments. There are rules, and those who follow them have the right to compete “.
Politically motivated culture war
The Warsaw weekly Polityka warns that this debate is being promoted by certain groups with the aim of political instrumentalization:
“This obsession with trans and intersex athletes is nothing new. There are so many debates surrounding the admission of trans athletes to competition that it seems they will soon overshadow the sport itself! These discussions do not take place in a politically neutral space. It is obvious how much this small minority is being used for waging so-called culture wars aimed at destabilizing Western societies.”
Clear rules are needed!
In an article for the Parisian Le Figaro, writer and activist Marguerite Stern calls for a clear distinction between intersexuality and transsexuality:
“This question has already arisen in relation to Caster Semenya, an intersex athlete and multiple Olympic champion. In the future, this question will arise repeatedly and will have to be resolved. It is important to distinguish between intersex people and trans people, because the former carry a duality embedded in them by nature with birth. Trans people voluntarily choose this form of duality and all the physical transformations that come with it. The priority is that the concern for the rights of minorities does not turn into the oppression of the rights of the majority, and it is also important to remember the protection of women’s rights.
Protest and criticism
American swimmer Riley Gaines, who advocates the rights of women in sports, wrote on the social network:
“As if the satanic display at the opening ceremony wasn’t enough. The Olympics glorify men who punch women in the face with the intention of knocking them unconscious. Imane Khalif is one of only two male boxers fighting women at the Olympics.”
The CEO of the Olympic Broadcasting Service, Yannis Exarchos, is concerned that broadcasters are still showing women and men at the Games differently.
“Unfortunately, women are still filmed at some events in a way that perpetuates stereotypes and sexism. Female athletes are not there because they are more attractive or sexier. They are there because they are elite athletes.”
