OAN’s Brooke Mallory
5:25 PM – Tuesday, November 21, 2023
International cricket competitions that involve transgender players competing against biological female players will no longer be possible.
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Transgender female athletes are no longer permitted to compete in women’s cricket, according to an International Cricket Council (ICC) ruling on Tuesday. Regardless of surgery or reassignment therapy, male-to-female competitors who have experienced male puberty are not allowed to compete.
The council cited scientific data that shows players who have gone through puberty as a biological male are at an advantage compared to biological female players.
Protecting the “integrity of the international women’s game” and the safety of the players was the council’s priority, according to CEO Geoff Allardice. He referenced a nine-month consultation “founded in science” as a main factor for the “new gender eligibility regulation.”
“The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process … and is aligned with the core principles developed during the review,” Allardice asserted.
These values include preserving the integrity, safety, fairness, and inclusivity of the game, according to the ICC.
Since the policy change solely pertains to international competitions, individual nations are free to establish their own regulations for domestic games. In two years, the ICC will review the rule.
Less than a month has passed since nine governors addressed the NCAA to request that its transgender student-athlete policy be revised. This rule modification follows their request.
They contended that the guideline punishes dedicated female athletes, since biological males have an athletic advantage over biological women when it comes to both strength and lung capacity.
“The NCAA has the opportunity to guarantee a fair environment for women’s sports,” the governors said. “If you take this opportunity, it will expand the possibilities for so many young women for years to come.”
Guidelines that allow biological men and women to compete against one another endorse “average male athlete[s] stealing the recognition from a truly remarkable female athlete,” the governors said.
This news comes after a biological female boxer, Katia Bissonnette, reportedly pulled out of a championship competition in October after finding out that she would be forced to compete against a transgender opponent. It was less than an hour before the event that Bissonnette decided not to face Mya Walmsley. Since the referees could not locate another fighter, they awarded the victory to Walmsley by default.
According to Bissonnette, biological female athletes should not have to bear the “physical and psychological risks” associated with an opponent’s choices regarding their “personal life” and perceived “identity.”
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