In a world where rules are more important than internal oversight with a new pipe, the International Women’s Sports Federation (IWSF) announced today that Lia Thomas, the transgender athlete with lightning bolts, has been banned from participating in women’s sports.
First, let’s address the obvious, or in this case the grizzly bear on the diving board. Thomas, a trans woman, has been making waves in the swimming world for some time now—in the truest sense of the word. It seems like she’s wading into the heated depths of the transgender debate in sports every time she jumps in the water.
Well, the IWSF, which has about as much mind as a group that names itself after an imaginary Star Trek federation, has decided it has had enough of all the fuss. They showed Thomas the result, just like a matador waves his cape and says “Hasta la Vista, baby” or any Spanish bullfighter.
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The IWSF’s decision comes amid an increasingly heated debate about the physiological advantages and disadvantages of cisgender women. In its statement, its decision was based on “scientific consensus.” One can’t help but recall the days when scientific consensus assumed the Earth was flat and the center of the universe. Let’s hope its sources are more credible this time around.
At a recent press conference, IWSF President Sir Reginald Pompous III defended the decision with the grace of a walrus on a unicycle. He noted, “We just have to ensure a level playing field.” It is indeed a rather innovative view of the equality that can be achieved by banning individuals. Perhaps one should say that this innovative thinking brought us things like the Berlin Wall and Prohibition.
As expected, the ban has sent shockwaves through the air. Critics argue that it’s just the latest step in a trend of increasing regulations that could turn the sport into a bureaucratic nightmare. The IWSF’s solution to the trans athlete problem? Just remove them from the equation. Why can’t we do that? It’s so simple it’s almost medieval. But I guess when you’re a band-aid who looks like he was named by George Lucas, subtlety isn’t really the way to go.
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A discussion about fairness in sport is quite appropriate, but the solution should not lie in blanket exclusion. But the IWSF seems to have the sophistication of a charging rhino. Instead of working together and having an integrative policy that respects the rights of all athletes, it has decided to follow the path of an 18th century monarch and simply ban everything that doesn’t suit you.
Lia Thomas’ fans reacted to the news with the calm and caution of a cat being thrown into a swimming pool. They point out that the LIA had adhered to all hormone regulations and that the IWSF is as fair with its suspension as a poker game with a shark.
In a time when we should welcome diversity and inclusion, it seems odd to have a discussion about blocking athletes because they don’t fit into a certain scheme. On the other hand, this is the same sporting world that throws a tantrum every time a football player takes a knee, so we shouldn’t be too surprised.
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As the debate rages on, you inevitably wonder what the IWSF will come up with. Will they start excluding athletes because they are too big, too strong, or too good at their sport? Only time will tell, but it is clear that they have fallen head over heels for a decision that is about as popular as a porcupine in a balloon shop.
This decision may please those who believe in rigid definitions of sports categories, but it should not be forgotten that there was already a man named Babe in the sports world who was one of the best baseball players, a man named Magic who was a basketball wizard, and a woman named Billie Jean King who knocked out tennis. It was a world in which individual achievement was celebrated and there was no reason for exclusion.
In this case, it seems that the IWSF has forgotten the spirit of sport in its efforts to create the same conditions: competition, diversity and inclusion. This ban on Lia Thomas can be seen as a worrying sign of the times or a misstep by an umbrella organization that has the grace of an elephant in a china shop. Either way, it is a decision that will undoubtedly continue to influence the world of sport and remind us that we have a long way to go in the 21st century until we truly understand the importance of fair play.
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