SHARRON Davies is begging Sir Keir Starmer to follow Donald Trump in banning trans athletes from women’s sports.
The British Oylmpic swimmer said the decision was “in the USA not the UK unfortunately”.
Sharron Davies has been vocal about her support for banning trans athletes from female competitions[/caption]
Davies wants Sir Keir Starmer to follow Trump’s lead[/caption]
Donald Trump has pledged to go after rules for the 2028 Olympics[/caption]
In a post on X, the 62-year-old said: “Please Keir Starmer can you now do as you said you would & protect all female athletes here in the UK in sport & stop males from stealing their places, awards & increasing their risk of injury? Sex in sport really matters…”
It comes after returning US President Trump signed a controversial new executive order barring transgender women and girls from competing in female sports.
In doing so, he fulfilled an election campaign promise to “keep men out of women’s sports”.
Davies last year claimed “mediocre male athletes are stealing women’s medals”.
In her foreword to a report by Policy Exchange on the impact trans ideology is having on women’s sport last year, the former athlete urged Brit policy makers to bar biological men from female amateur sports.
She wrote: “There is a sense within sports policy that while we should protect the female category within elite sports, women and girls participating and competing at amateur levels should budge over.
“They must ‘be kind’ and ‘inclusive’ while having to pretend that it is not grossly unfair, demotivating and possibly unsafe to accommodate biological males within their races, teams and sports days.”
She added: “For too long, those responsible for setting policy within sports have prioritised transgender inclusion over the rights of female athletes.”
Davies said “we risk alienating a generation of future female athletes if we pretend that biology does not matter within sport”.
In January, England Hockey announced it is banning transgender women from participating in the female category from next season, which begins on September 1.
Two years ago, UK Athletics banned transgender women from competing in this country – while World Athletics announced an international ban.
Lord Sebastian Coe – who is one of seven candidates for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – said he will explore a complete Olympic ban if he’s elected next month.
He told Sky News in December: “We’ve taken the lead at World Athletics, as you know, and I think for me the principle is very clear.
“But if you have a vacuum around this policy position, then you end up with some of the things that we witnessed in Paris.”
DONALD TRUMP
The president signed the order, for the Department of Education, in a White House ceremony surrounded by young girls.
Trump’s order largely covers high school, university, and grassroot sports.
He said: “From now on women’s sports will be only for women.
“With this executive order the war on women’s sports is over.
“If you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated… and risk your federal funding.”
Trump’s directive provides guidance, regulations, and legal interpretations to high schools and it orders the Education Department to investigate those that don’t comply.
In a post on X, Trump said schools would be investigated for violations of Title IX be at risk of losing federal funding.
Trump is now set to push the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its rules on transgender athletes before the 2028 Los Angeles games.
He said he had ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “make it clear” to the IOC that “we want them to change everything having to do with the Olympics and having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject.”
Trump’s Olympics demand comes after the Paris games saw a row erupt over Alergerian boxer Imane Khelif.
At his inauguration speech Trump announced that US government policy would only recognize two genders, male and female – ending the practice of providing a third gender option in some settings.
Trump described “a society that is colour-blind and merit based” as he set out his vision of a United States “respected again and admired again”.
Days later he signed an order to rid the military of what he called “transgender ideology” and effectively ban transgender troops.
He also issued an order to restrict gender transition procedures for people under age 19.
Trump also used transgender rights as a cleavage during the 2024 election campaign.
One of Trump’s most successful attack lines against his election rival targeted her support for trans rights.
He said: “Kamala Harris is for they/them. President Trump his for you”.
Less than one per cent of the US population over the age of 13 are transgender, according to a UCLA study.
In a statement, Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said that the order “exposes young people to harassment and discrimination, emboldening people to question the gender of kids who don’t fit a narrow view of how they’re supposed to dress or look”.
“For so many students, sports are about finding somewhere to belong… not partisan policies that make life harder for them.”
Who is Imane Khelif?
Algerian boxer Imane Khelife fought her way to welterweight gold at Paris 2024, although her participation at the Games was shrouded in controversy.
Khelif competed 13 months after allegedly failing gender eligibility tests administered by the Russian-backed International Boxing Association.
Unsubstantiated claims she was born a male spread like wildfire on social media after Italy’s Angela Carini quit their tournament opener after 46 seconds.
Khelif has previously insisted she is a biological female, stating: “As for whether I qualify or not, whether I am a woman or not, I have made many statements in the media.
“I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived as a woman, I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that.”
Officials found tests showed Khelif had ‘XY chromosomes’ — which indicates a person is biologically male.
Rare ‘intersex’ medical conditions, medically known as differences in sexual development (DSDs), can also mean outwardly female individuals can have ‘male’ chromosomes, or vice versa.
The IOC said this was fine for Khelif to compete saying that she cleared the rules that had been set.
A year prior to the Olympics, Khelif was disqualified from the Women’s World Championships for failing the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) gender eligibility rules.
But the Russian-led body was stripped of its governance by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over integrity and governance issues.
