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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Kenan Malik

From pool to track: disputes over trans athletes mustn’t make everyone a loser

Lia Thomas at the NCAA swimming and diving championships in Georgia, Atlanta on 19 March.
Lia Thomas at the NCAA swimming and diving championships in Georgia, Atlanta on 19 March. Photograph: Brett Davis/USA Today Sports

If you want a case study of how not to handle the question of transgender athletes in sport, look to the treatment of British cyclist Emily Bridges. As a talented male junior, Bridges won three silver medals at national championships and seemed destined for the Olympics.

Bridges came out as trans in 2020 but had continued to participate in men’s events while transitioning. Having sufficiently reduced her testosterone levels, she became eligible to compete in women’s races. Her first such race would have been yesterday at the National Omnium Championships alongside the likes of five-time Olympic champion Laura Kenny.

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