- IOC receives petition demanding that women not be “forced to compete with men” in future Olympic games
- Elite athletes speak out about importance of biological sex, as landmark challenge to law banning harmful drugs and surgeries hits US Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, DC (4th December) – Over 40,000 people from around the world have signed a joint open letter to the International Olympic Committee, imploring them to protect “women’s sports, private spaces, and basic fairness” in light of increasing pressure to include biological males in women’s sporting categories.
READ THE PETITION IN FULL HERE
The petition, which was hand-delivered to the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland by ADF International, states: “Men and women are different. Their physical differences give men athletic advantages in sports. Scientific research continues to acknowledge this reality.”
“However, governments and organizational bodies like the IOC have adopted policies that allow males who identify as female to compete in women’s sports. These policies prioritize feelings over fairness—ideology over truth.”
“I’m one of so many young women that have lost out on medals and opportunities - simply because I wasn’t a male. What kind of message does that send?
Commenting on the petition, Riley Gaines, who campaigns for justice in women’s sports having been forced to compete against males in swimming, said:
“As a college athlete, my safety and privacy in the locker room was repeatedly jeopardized because of sports bodies which put ideology before women’s rights. I’m one of so many young women that have lost out on medals and opportunities – simply because I wasn’t a male. What kind of message does that send?
“Women have raised concerns repeatedly about safety, privacy and fairness in women’s sports. The IOC is looked upon as a leader on sports policies. It must take heed of this petition, and take a stand for women around the world in protecting our sports – not only for this generation of athletes, but the little girls who one day dream of winning the gold.”
Lost medals and opportunities
Women have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports to males competing in women’s sports categories, according to the report of Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, which was highlighted at a recent panel event hosted by ADF International at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Males have a larger heart, greater lung capacity, greater muscle mass, more red blood cells, and less body fat than females, among other physiological advantages – all of which result in a significant performance advantage in sport.
Commenting on the petition, British Olympian swimmer and sports commentator Sharron Davies said:
“Women’s sport should never have been sacrificed on the altar of virtue-signalling gender ideology, against all the peer reviewed science in the first place.
“I’d very much hoped after the betrayal of women during the GDR era I wouldn’t see the IOC do it again, but here we are. Let’s hope common sense & prioritising fairness & safety for female athletes will return soon. The willful negligence of the boxing during the Paris 2024 Olympics was a particular low point and a total disgrace.”
Davies lost out on winning Olympic gold in the 1980s due to an East German competitor who had been given an unfair advantage, having been supplied with testosterone as a teenager to improve her performance.
“Women’s sport should never have been sacrificed on the altar of virtue-signalling gender ideology, against all the peer reviewed science in the first place."
Supreme Court to consider biological reality
The petition was delivered to the IOC days prior to a landmark case being heard at the US Supreme Court regarding a law that bans puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and certain surgeries for children.
The state of Tennessee is defending its law that protects children from harmful, unnecessary, and high-risk medical procedures that alter their bodies to make them look like the opposite sex.
Systematic reviews around the world have exposed the harmful risks of puberty blockers to children’s health. Several European countries and American states have banned puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for children.
“Gender ideology has countless victims, including children who, incapable of consenting to the harm, take toxic puberty blockers which can cause irreversible damage to their bodies – to young girls and women who suffer the consequences of the lie that men can become women.
“Nobody is born in the wrong body – such a message is dangerous and abusive. Men and women are different and unique. We should celebrate our complementary strengths – not diminish them at the expense of the safety, privacy, and dignity of all involved,” said Elyssa Koren, Director of Legal Communications for ADF International.
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Pictured:
Elyssa Koren, Director of Legal Communications for ADF International
Selina Soule, taking legal action after being forced to compete against male athletes, with support from ADF
Sharron Davies, British Olympian and author of “Unfair Play”
Felix Böllman, legal counsel for ADF International, delivering petition to IOC HQ in Lausanne
