Significant physical advantages
World Rugby is considering banning trans women from playing women’s rugby because of significant safety concerns that have emerged following recent research, a decision that would make it the first international sports federation to go down that path.
You know, you’d think the significant safety concerns would have been there all along, given the differences between male and female bodies.
The Guardian can reveal that in a 38-page draft document produced by its transgender working group, it is acknowledged that there is likely to be “at least a 20-30% greater risk” of injury when a female player is tackled by someone who has gone through male puberty. The document also says the latest science shows that trans women retain “significant” physical advantages over biological women even after they take medication to lower their testosterone.
No shit.
As World Rugby’s working group notes, players who are assigned male at birth and whose puberty and development is influenced by androgens/testosterone “are stronger by 25%-50%, are 30% more powerful, 40% heavier, and about 15% faster than players who are assigned female at birth (who do not experience an androgen-influenced development).”
Sanity at last. Other sports please note.
This wording irks me. Does World Rugby ban men from playing women’s rugby? Ban, nothing. “Revoking an exception” is more like it.
Yes and the title is annoying too – putting trans women first and saying they “face” a ban, thus priming the reader to think Oh it’s so unfair.
I wonder if The Guardian’s “transgender working group” is a group of people working on transgender issues, or a working group of transgender people.
I like the Guardian in many ways, but they have been dangerously stupid in espousing the trans-cause in all its ridiculous and unpleasant aspects. Rugby is a very dangerous game – I had a bad back & neck for years and years after playing a lot of it in my youth, and (I have probably said this before) once saw a, English centre-three-quarter break his neck in a tackle during an international at Twickenham. And the way the game is played nowadays has increased the possibility of serious injury, despite the banning of high tackles and other dangerous play.
One thing about Rugby, especially in the Southern Hemisphere but I think worldwide, is that they take a very evidence based approach to rule changes on a safety basis.
As an example, a recent report showed that the incidence of pain and disablement is markedly higher amongst retired rugby players than retired cricket players (amateur or professional). Generally the difference was a round 20-30% in each category they measured, except osteoarthritis which was a whopping 80% higher amongst rugby players. They noted in an interview that most of the study participants had been retired for 10 years and that over the last 10 years the game has become much harsher, especially at professional level.
Sure, there are women in the NZ representative side who could snap me like a twig, but compared to males playing at even serious provincial or club level they are in a different league. Doesn’t stop them from playing exciting and skilled rugby, just at a different pace and power setting.
Sastra, it is a WR working group.
It had to happen. Women’s rugby has been growing explosively for 20 years, and was in danger of becoming unplayable. Sure, men’s rugby sees a Jonah Lomu from time to time, but that is elite level, with world class athletes on both sides. Men playing as women at the grassroots level has been devastating. Referees were refusing to referee women’s rugby because of what they were seeing.
Someone tweeted the other day that the Guardian has received £250,000 from the Open Society Foundation to publish stories that promote gender identity equality, which might help explain the rash of trans puff pieces.
OK–you can find some information here:
https://theguardian.org/about-us-2/
but I can’t directly link to it. It looks like $250,000 rather than £.
I can remember over 50 years ago at my primary school playing one game of mixed rugby. I was a sturdy girl, but I can still the recall the force of Bruce Smith (yes, that really was his name) banging into me at full tilt.
@guest
Well $250,000 is a drop in the ocean for the Guardian’s finances. For all their faults, I don’t think the Guardian could be blatantly bribed like that. They have simply hired a bunch of younger, woke columnists – and older ones are staying silent or falling into line.
I thought this a good article on how this dogma has overtaken leftist and academic circles.
https://medium.com/@ziggy_m/womens-rights-in-the-far-left-are-feminists-actually-neo-fascists-bf490fef2539