JuristaFeminista

FIFA’s recent decision to adopt the “X” as a symbol of racist incident, which was unveiled on its website on August 30 of this year, was implemented for the first time at the recently concluded 2024 U-20 Women’s World Cup. However, the “X” is not just any symbol; for female athletes, it represents a fundamental struggle for the preservation of their rights and competitive spaces and the recognition of biological differences that impact sporting performance.

In the world of sports, symbols have immense power. They are used as a communication tool, are the basis for the development and understanding of rules, and often become banners for movements that transcend the lines of the field. That is why, as we will explain in this article, FIFA’s adoption of the «X» symbol as part of its campaign against racism is a decision that generates problems in the field of equality in sport and the fight against discrimination, because this symbol already belongs to women athletes.       

The X is a feminist symbol

The origin of the «X» in women’s sport dates back to the last Olympics, where it became a silent but very powerful symbol of protest against the inclusion in the female category of male athletes with Sex Development Differences (DSDs) and, by extension, of trans-self-identified athletes; because, as has been demonstrated, by women’s sports organizations,  the inclusion of “diverse” males excludes females. 

This gesture arose spontaneously by the Bulgarian boxer Svetlana Kamenova, who was followed by Esra Yıldız, to protest against the foul play promoted by the IOC’s eligibility policies that allowed two men with DSD (differences of sex development) to participate in boxing matches, although they had been expelled at the World Championships in this discipline for having been shown to be carriers of XY chromosomes; i.e., they were not women.     

As the competitions progressed, the gesture spread to other boxers and athletes, as well as supporters and  women’s organizations in different parts of the world, who stood in solidarity with the boxers defrauded by the IOC. A gesture of protest that acquired sufficient entity and global notoriety to be recognized as a feminist symbol in defense of equality and integrity in women’s sport, because this is feminism: recognizing the equality, humanity and dignity of women and men, so that in the exercise of rights, there is equal treatment and opportunities. Women cannot lose to FIFA a feminist symbol that has arisen from the IOC’s foul play against women.

FIFA’s lack of commitment to sexist discrimination

FIFA’s appropriation of this symbol represents a lack of consideration for the legitimate claims of female athletes and its lack of commitment in its fight against discrimination on the basis of sex, which is much more widespread than racism in football, and its effects are even more serious.  especially due to the lack of visibility and support for women’s football, as the «Women’s Football Strategy» has not yet been implemented.    

From a legal perspective, this appropriation raises questions about the rights of women athletes to freedom of expression and peaceful protest. The «X» is women’s form of protest against the usurpation of our rights and spaces, without the need to resort to forms of protest that could be penalized by the sports authorities. For the sake of ethics and consistency in the fight against discrimination, FIFA has a responsibility to respect pre-existing movements within the sporting community. By appropriating the «X» FIFA is not only stealing a feminist symbol that was consolidated at its very birth but is also trivializing the struggle of women and sending a clear message that women’s rights are secondary. 

Discrimination on the basis of sex is as unacceptable as racial discrimination, and it is the responsibility of FIFA and the national associations to ensure that the injustices suffered by women are treated with the same urgency and sensitivity. Women athletes deserve to compete in a fair environment and that their fight for equality is not relegated to the sidelines.

Renouncing the “X” symbol in favor of women is a good starting point for FIFA to demonstrate its commitment to eradicating violence and discrimination against women in sport; which, unlike racism, does not only come from the stands and social networks, but is also suffered on and off the field, and almost always by coaches, managers and technical staff –as happened last year at the Royal Spanish Football Federation with the women’s world champion team– without FIFA or the federations having taken effective measures to combat misogyny, discrimination and violence against women athletes, despite the fact that violence against women is a crime and that the CEDAW specifically recognizes it as a violation of our human rights.

The X is ours. FIFA must look for another symbol

The decision to use the «X» at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024 is particularly problematic as, on the one hand, it dilutes the original meaning of the symbol in a context where fair play for women and equality in sport is of paramount importance; and, on the other, it will create confusion about the meaning of the symbol, because the «X» has already been consolidated since the last Olympics as a symbol of protest, resistance and dignity against the participation of male-born athletes in female sports.

It is important to recognize that the fight against racism is a noble and necessary cause. However, FIFA has at its disposal a multitude of symbols and resources to promote this cause, without appropriating one that already has profound meaning for women in all sports. Indeed, the fight against racism in sport already has powerful and historically recognized symbols. Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ gesture at the 1968 Olympic Games, with their fists raised, is the iconic symbol of protest against racial discrimination. FIFA could draw inspiration from these existing symbols or work with athletes and activists to develop new forms of expression that do not conflict with the rights of women athletes.

Although FIFA approved the symbol before the Olympics, it was not until the U-20 World Cup in September that its adoption was implemented, and by then it was already a known, notorious and consolidated fact that the «X» is the symbol of women to claim that female sports is only for carriers of XX chromosomes, that is, women. The fight against racism cannot take on the same symbol as the defense of equality in women’s sport. If FIFA adopts another symbol to fight racism, it will demonstrate that it is truly committed to eradicating discrimination and violence in sport. The X is ours.