A trans athlete has slammed the decision to ban transgender swimmers from women’s sport, saying that “we’re not taking over”.
Swimming’s world governing body FINA voted to ban athletes who have gone through male puberty from racing in women’s events.
In addition, FINA will set up a working group with a view to establishing an open competition category, open to athletes “without regard to their sex, their legal gender, or their gender identity”.
Nigel Farage and Joanna Harper
GB News
Trans swimmer Lia Thomas
Brett Davis
The row was heightened after Lia Thomas became the first transgender swimmer to win a major US national college title in March.
And while many have welcomed the ruling, trans athlete Joanna Harper has hit out at it, saying she “doesn’t see the need” for it.
Speaking on GB News’ Farage, Ms Harper said: “The suggestion that trans women are on the verge of taking over women’s sport is simply not true.
“For instance, FINA just made this rule essentially banning trans women from women’s category in international competition.
“But no trans woman in history has ever competed at that level.
“So they’re putting in this ban that doesn’t ban anyone currently.
“At the NCAA level, there are over 200,000 women competing every year in NCAA sports, trans people make up 1 percent of the population, there should be 2,000 trans women competing every year.
“This rule that the NCAA put in is 11 years old and there are only a handful of trans women who are competing, so trans women aren’t taking over, they aren’t’ winning disproportionally, so I don’t see the need for this particular rule.”