As our nation debates the issue of transgenderism, it looks like the sports world is tackling the issue head on.
The International Olympic Committee has announced that the 2018 winter games will allow transgendered athletes to compete.
This is guaranteed to cause controversy. No matter what your stance is on transgenderism, sports is a whole other ball game (pardon the pun). There’s no doubt some athletes will question the wisdom of this decision. That’s because they understand the natural, biological differences between males and females that lend themselves to different athletic performances.
For example, adult men are naturally 9 percent taller than women (on average) and have 30 percent more lung capacity. When it comes to physical strength, on average women only have 40-60 percent the upper body strength of males, and 70-75 percent the lower body strength.
The issue of transgender athletes is certainly a controversial one – and it’s going to become an even more controversial during the 2018 Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that it would allow transgender athletes to compete in whatever category they wish to participate in during the 2018 Winter Olympics, a report says.
IOC officials noted that they will not require athletes to compete in categories that match their birth gender nor will there be any gender or sex testing of competitors ahead of the games, Daily Caller reported.
“With regard to Hyperandrogenism in female athletes, there were no regulations in place at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and there will be no regulations in place at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 as we are still awaiting the resolution of the Dutee Chand case,” the IOC recently claimed. The Dutee Chand case concerns the Indian sprinter who is fighting rules that prevent her from competing because she exhibits “female hyperandrogenism,” and has too many natural male traits which may give her an advantage over female opponents. She was banned from competition because her natural testosterone levels exceeded the IOC’s rules. However, India is appealing the ruling.
H/T Viral Patriots
In 2016, the IOC announced that the games wouldn’t require athletes to undergo surgery before competing in their preferred category. During the Rio Grande games in 2016, transgendered athletes were allowed to compete but none did. The 2018 games will be the first time this rule is put to the test in the winter games.
This could have some significant consequences, including massive record-breaking.
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