The president of the Worldwide Paralympic Committee says he’s against “blanket options” for transgender participation insurance policies.
Andrew Parsons was talking after United States President Donald Trump signed an government order that forestalls transgender girls from competing in feminine classes of sports activities.
Final week, Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential candidate Seb Coe backed the transfer, and has additionally advised he would take into account introducing a blanket ban if elected subsequent month.
“One factor that’s essential to us after all is to guard the feminine class, that is the primary precedence,” Parsons advised BBC Sport.
“However we additionally need to acknowledge that there’s a rising inhabitants of transgender athletes, [and] that they wish to compete on the highest doable stage.
“So how we will deliver all of this collectively is a problem, and I feel science is the reply to that, however I do not suppose a blanket answer is feasible as a result of I do imagine sports activities are totally different.
“In the intervening time you’ve got ‘blended sports activities’, like equestrian for instance. So I do not imagine in blanket options for such a sophisticated factor, particularly as a result of sports activities are so totally different when it comes to what they demand from the athletes.”
The IOC and IPC each at present enable particular person sports activities to set their very own guidelines concerning transgender athletes.
Beneath Coe’s presidency, World Athletics has banned transgender girls from competing within the feminine class at worldwide occasions and toughened the foundations over the participation of athletes with variations in intercourse improvement (DSD).
Nonetheless, beneath World Para Athletics’ guidelines, an individual who’s legally recognised as a lady is eligible to compete within the class their impairment qualifies them for.
Final yr in Paris, Italian runner Valentina Petrillo turned the primary overtly transgender athlete to compete on the Paralympics.
“On the subject of the IOC and IPC, we’re totally different organisations with totally different governance fashions,” mentioned Parsons.
“We took totally different selections on essential selections previously and this can proceed to be the case when it comes to the autonomy.”
Trump has additionally mentioned he’ll stop transgender girls from competing in feminine competitions on the LA 2028 Video games by denying them visas to journey to the US.
When requested for his response, Parsons mentioned: “In fact we’ve got three years to go, however in terms of transgender participation it is as much as every worldwide federation (IF) to make these selections when it comes to guidelines and laws. We are going to work with the organising committee to verify the foundations of each IF may very well be revered.
“That is an operational matter in terms of the Video games and visas. We now have to see details and measures to see how we will then work with selections which can be going to be made.
“I perceive in the meanwhile there are lots of opinions, many statements, however we have to work with the details. And that is one thing that each host agrees in terms of visas – to ensure the participation of all totally different nations and the athletes who’re thought-about eligible by the IOC, IPC and the respective IFs.”
