Male athletes have a natural advantage over females, making competition between the sexes unfair and dangerous, Reem Alsalem believes
Athletes who were born male should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports because they enjoy an unfair advantage, according to the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem. Her comments follow a transgender controversy at the Paris Olympics, which highlighted safety issues facing participants and called into question the integrity of the games.
Alsalem on Thursday presented a report to the organization in which she warned that female athletes could be physically vulnerable to biological males when competing in the same sports.
Emphasizing that the sports function on the premise that “a separate category for females is needed to ensure equal, fair and safe opportunities,” she noted, as cited by Sky News, that “multiple studies offer evidence that athletes born male have proven performance advantages in sport throughout their lives.”
According to Alsalem, undermining the eligibility criteria in single-sex sports would lead to “unfair, unlawful and extreme forms of discrimination against female athletes.” In light of this, she argued, sports authorities should “ensure that female categories in organized sport are exclusively accessible to persons whose biological sex is female” to guarantee fair play.
The official noted that in cases when the sex of an athlete is “unknown or uncertain,” this person should undergo genetic testing in a dignified manner, such as a cheek swab.
Alsalem said that while the report – which she described as independent and having a certain authoritative weight – will not have any legally binding implications, she hopes it will contribute to the human rights conversation.
The report comes in the wake of a gender scandal at the Paris Olympics, where Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won the gold medal in women’s boxing. Khelif was disqualified from competition last year by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after a DNA test indicated that the athlete was ineligible to compete with women. Khelif has denied allegations of being born a biological male while complaining of “online harassment.”
Commenting on the controversy, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said that there is not “a scientifically solid system how to identify men and women,” arguing that chromosome testing is no longer sufficient to distinguish between the two sexes. According to the IOC, the decision came down to Khelif’s passport, which identifies the athlete as a woman.
The Palestinian Football Association has called for the country to be barred from sporting events over the war in Gaza
The world football governing body, FIFA, reportedly has no intention of suspending Israeli teams from its tournaments over the war in Gaza.
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) submitted a proposal to suspend Israel in May, citing the armed conflict, raging since last October. FIFA has postponed its decision on the matter twice, most recently in late August, when the organization said its Zurich-based executive council would make an assessment in early October.
The Israeli sports website ONE claimed on Monday that no sanctions would be imposed on the Israel Football Association (IFA) or the national team. The article did not specify the source of the insider information.
The outlet said Israel was lucky that the request was handled by the 37-strong FIFA Council – and that if it were taken up by the FIFA Congress, the supreme legislative body of the association, which includes more than 200 members and gathers annually, “we would have no chance against the global majority, which is currently against Israel.”
Supporters of the Palestinian proposal have argued that the Israeli military campaign in Gaza violates FIFA’s stated goals, and warrants punishment by the organization. The death toll in the conflict, which was triggered by a deadly incursion into Israel by the militant group Hamas on October 7 last year, has surpassed 41,000 and may be significantly higher, according to aid groups and observers.
Commenting on the ONE report on Tuesday, Russian lawmaker Dmitry Svishchev said that if true, it simply highlights that international sports follow double standards, as Moscow knows from its own experience.
“Russia, it appears, has no rights. Any action by our nation is treated as forbidden, leading to disqualification of athletes. If Israel plays in FIFA international tournaments, why can’t Russians be allowed?” he said in comments to the sports channel Match TV.
