Thread by @wanderingwomb1

@sharrond62 Yes! The decision was indefensible.

Board certified orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Johnny Benjamin said of the IOC ruling that "There is no firm scientific basis to support that conclusion. They made an arbitrary determination in the face of social pressure."

bloodyelbow.com/platform/amp/2…

@sharrond62 Otago University physiology professor Alison Heather says that the IOC rushed decisions re trans athletes competing in female categories, basing restrictions & regulations on a single study of 8 non-elite recreational runners

i.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sp…

@sharrond62 IOC rule maker Dr Eric Vilain acknowledges that "the concept of anatomical equality for transgender athletes was simply not feasible"

"The goal is to create a pathway to include the transgender athlete, not create total equality."

velonews.com/2018/10/news/c…

@sharrond62 That same IOC advisor Dr Eric Vilain in the NY Times saying that removing sex from the eligibility rules would be "a disaster for women's sports....a sad end for what feminists have wanted for so long"

@sharrond62 As we know, on BBC Radio 4 Prof John Brewer & Prof Ieuan Jones (also an IOC advisor) agreed that there's no way for trans athletes who've been through male puberty to compete fairly against female athletes regardless of testosterone levels

facebook.com/20307499010265…

@sharrond62 Trans athlete & IOC advisor Joanna Harper, whose single study was used to inform the IOC ruling, has stated that cross sex hormones don't eliminate physiological differences affecting competitive advantage

@sharrond62 & as we heard in a BBC world service interview she said that male performance advantage is retained & that there needs to be more research "If we allow male athletes to compete before we know the answer then world records will be broken and medals lost"

https://twitter.com/fairplaywomen/status/1104346571796299776?s=20

@sharrond62 The defence of the decisions so far has been a cyclist with a philosophy PhD in 'why you don't need to know what you're talking about', a sociology professor and....er.....

Gender identities don't compete or win scholarships or secure sponsorships. Physical bodies do.

@sharrond62 The burden of proof is for those advocating for women sports to be mixed sex (segregated by gender) to prove with reliable, robust data that reducing T levels in natal males eradicates any meaningful competitive advantage over natal females. Which the IOC says DOES NOT YET EXIST

@sharrond62 Re: trans Olympians. The 2003 IOC rule required surgery: which a large % of trans women don't have

2015 IOC rule was the yr before 2016 Olympics: not enough time to qualify

2020 is the first Olympics the new ruling applies & now trans athletes are likely to compete (eg Brazil)