Transgender athletes threaten integrity of women’s sport, says World Athletics president Seb Coe
- Coe calls state of women’s sport ‘very fragile’ and issues go ‘way, way beyond sport’
- Comments come after swimmer Lia Thomas becomes first transgender NCAA champion in Division 1 history
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the state of women’s sports is “very fragile” and sports federations need to get it right when writing rules for transgender female athletes.
Coe’s comments come after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division 1 history by winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle in Atlanta last week.
“The integrity of women’s sport — if we don’t get this right — and, actually, the future of women’s sport, is very fragile,” Coe said.
“These are sensitive issues, they are societal issues — they go way, way beyond sport. I don’t have the luxury to get into endless discussions or the school of moral philosophy.”
Thomas competed on the men’s team for three years before transitioning and moving to the women’s team and setting multiple program records.
Last month, USA Swimming unveiled a new policy to allow transgender athletes to swim in elite events by setting out criteria that aim to mitigate any unfair advantages.
