JuristaFeminista

Edited by Iusport 07/09/24

The recent qualification of the trans-self-identified athlete known as Valentina Petrillo in the semifinals of the 200m T 12, at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, has reignited the debate on the dire effects that the «inclusion» of male births has on women’s sport, because it is well known that it ends up excluding women from their own category. As science has shown, recently reiterated by Tucker, Hilton et al, those who have gone through male puberty are faster, taller and stronger than women.

And, although «citius, altius, fortius» is precisely the motto of Olympism, it was intended to be applied among equals, and not among those who, by pure biology, possess a physical superiority that makes them have unfair competitive advantages that destroy women’s sport. This issue has sparked great controversy, because the ‘inclusion’ in the female category of male-born athletes directly violates the Olympic Charter, the fundamental principles of sport and women’s human rights: non-discrimination, equity and fair play, are impossible to guarantee when the fundamental right of women to practice sports and compete on equal terms is violated. In this article we will see how the policy of the ‘inclusion’ of non-hegemonic men in the female category gives legal legitimacy to cheating in women’s sport.

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