Top British sportswomen are overwhelmingly opposed to competing against transgender women but are afraid to say so publicly, the largest survey of its kind has found.
The BBC Elite British Sportswomen’s Study revealed that 104 female athletes were “uncomfortable” or “very uncomfortable” with trans women competing against them, 96 of whom felt the same about speaking out on the subject.
Of the 143 respondents, only 11 were comfortable or very comfortable competing against trans women, 21 were neutral, five did not wish to respond and two did not provide an answer.
The responses will increase pressure on sports bodies to ban trans women from female competitions, many of which have done so in the past four years, while some – such as the Football Association and England & Wales Cricket Board – continue to be slow to act.
Athletes taking part in the BBC survey did so anonymously but were also given an opportunity to provide contact details for further inquiries.
Those who did so included Olympians and Paralympians.
According to the BBC, many of those who responded cited concerns around protecting women’s sport, while others referred to the potential physical advantages transgender women retain from going through male puberty.
“Putting them in women’s sport is literally like going back in time and putting women at the bottom of the pile again and having to rebuild women back up again,” an athlete said.
Other comments included:
- “It makes it too much of an unfair playing field, regardless of what sport you are competing in.”
- “We are in a position of just trying to get that momentum and just trying to get female sport on a level playing field with the men, and almost now feel that there’s decisions being made... and we’re being marginalised again.”
- “I think allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sport would be the end. It would be like going back in time.”
Questions about trans women in sport were part of a wider survey sent to 615 athletes, including any applicable transgender athletes, in 28 sports.
The study also found almost 40 per cent of respondents had been trolled on social media, with more than half of those receiving abuse of a sexual nature, while a third of those taking part had considered giving up sport because of the cost of living crisis, with more than three-quarters earning less than £30,000 a year from being an elite athlete.
