Sporting Champs Seek Review Of Sport NZ Transgender Guidelines

11 September 2024

An open letter signed by more than 50 former New Zealand Olympians and sports representatives asks the government to ensure fairness is the cornerstone of sport at all levels.

“We owe our next generation of female athletes a fair, safe future in sport whether at community or elite level. Our shared obligation is to provide objective, science-informed opinion above subjective ideology,” the letter states.

The group of 59 athletes includes former Olympians Barbara Kendall, Lorraine Moller and Dean Kent, former Olympic Chef de Mission and Emeritus Professor David Gerrard, and former Silver Ferns captain Anna Stanley.

The letter was presented to Minister of Sport Hon Chris Bishop today by former Olympic cyclist Gary Anderson, professional ironman athlete Candice Riley, and Save Women’s Sport Australasia (SWSA) co-founder Ro Edge, requesting he urgently reviews the Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport.

Ms Edge says the current guidelines ignore the rights of every female athlete to fair and safe competition and enable the participation of males who self-identify as female in girls and women’s sport at all levels in New Zealand. “It gives transgender athletes the right to play sport in the gender they identify with and requires no explanation or transition.”

Dr Gerrard says “If we accept an ideology of self-identification of gender as the criterion for inclusion, we disrespect the science, and we disrespect female athletes.”

Mrs Stanley stated “I think as a country we don’t get it right all the time, and when it comes to the transgender debate we need to be better around our policies. We need to listen to what the research is telling us and it’s clear that trans women are at an advantage when they are competing at any level in sport.”

Ms Edge says SWSA believes everyone has the right to play sport, but no one should have the right to play in any category they choose. “We owe our next generation of female athletes a fair, safe future in sport, whether at community or elite level.”

New Zealanders agree, with research showing growing opposition to trans women competing in women’s sport. “Unlike other social issues where support has grown over time, such as gay marriage, the more people see this unfairness in female sport, the less they like it.”

Since SWSA first polled in 2022 opposition to males who identify as females competing in women’s sport has grown from 55% to 72%.

Ms Edge says Sport NZ is out of step with the majority of New Zealanders who recognise the biological and physiological differences of sex matter in sport. “It’s time to ensure the guidelines for transgender inclusion in sport prioritise fairness and safety.”

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