“How can different federations in their countries set their own different rules? They have to do research and put it into practice. It costs money to figure it out. It’s not possible,” Navrátilová told The Australian.
Sunday’s decision by the International Swimming Federation, which was the first to introduce a separate category for transgender athletes, is considered a good impetus by the well-known pioneer for gay rights.
“It was such a perverse situation … Transgender athletes had to deal with it,” said a 65-year-old native of Czechoslovakia, who represented the USA after emigration. “Biology makes the biggest difference in sports. FINA is the first big organization to bet on fairness and may try to involve as many people as possible. But fairness should come first,” said Navratilova, led by Renee Richards during her career. male to female gender.
FINA involved leading scientists in a working group tasked with drawing up rules for the participation of transgender people in elite races. In order to start in the women’s category, they must undergo a gender reassignment within 12 years. However, according to some critics, there is still a lack of studies on the impact of gender reassignment on physical performance.
In the past, Navrátilová criticized the start of people after gender reassignment in women’s competitions. Three years ago, Athlete Ally, an organization that supports LGBTQI + people in sports, lost her post as ambassador.
