Sharron Davies tells GB News women are 'being asked to give up their right to fair sport' by competing against trans athletes

In an interview with GB News, British Olympic silver medalist Sharron Davies compared the advantages of being a trans woman in female sport to the advantages of being a drug cheat.

In the interview with Colin Brazier, the former swimmer exclusively told GB News: "At the moment we spend millions trying to spot people having the tiniest advantage by taking drugs, so that they’re cheating, but yet women are supposed to move over so that males are able to come into their sports..."

Ms Davies also asked whether it was "fair to ask women to give up their right to fair sport."

Ms Davies' comments come following news that a trans woman has been cleared to compete in the female category at National Omnium cycling championships, against Dame Laura Kenny, the five-time Olympic gold medallist.

Penn Quakers swimmer Lia Thomas finishes eighth in the 100 free at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships at Georgia Tech.
Brett Davis

Emily Bridges, 21, competed as a male athlete last month in the men's points race at the British Universities' championships. Bridges won the event.

Prior to transitioning, the then Zach Bridges broke the national junior men’s 25 mile record and was chosen to join the British Cycling’s senior academy, in 2019. This is the pathway for Olympic hopefuls.

Bridges' junior record was two minutes faster than the faster ever female time over the same distance.

This follows the success of Lia Thomas, a trans woman who won the 500-yard freestyle title at the women’s NCAA championships.

Ms Thomas was previously ranked 65th in the male category for the 500-yard freestyle, but is now ranked 1st.

Ms Davies, who won silver in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, told GB News that female athletes will have to "give up their trophies, their wins, their places, [and] their scholarships" as more trans women are allowed to enter female sport.

The two-time Commonwealth gold medallist also said that "anyone who has gone through male puberty is not going to be able to mitigate" against the physical "advantages" of that process.

Ms Davies emphasised her support for the rights of individuals to transition: "I absolute support anybody who chooses to identify as the opposite sex."

However she noted that in sport, medicine and other areas "biology has to supersede" any accommodation of trans rights.