Study Finds no Evidence Trans Athletes are a Threat to Women’s Sports

Enrique Alpañés for El País:

The meta-analysis, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, analyzed 2,943 transgender women who had undergone hormone therapy for one to three years. It found no evidence of any physical advantage. There were no observable differences in upper or lower body strength, or in maximum oxygen consumption — a key measure of cardiorespiratory fitness — between trans and cisgender women. In fact, after gender-affirming hormone therapy, transgender and cisgender women showed similar levels of physical fitness across all variables analyzed. Therefore, based on the scientific evidence, Gualano concludes that transgender women “do not pose a threat to women’s sports.”

The IOC has a long history of kowtowing to extreme and dangerous leaders around the world. With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics looming they saw how the winds were blowing in the host country and made decisions to curry favors in advance.

Trail running isn’t part of the Olympics – yet. And won’t be for LA28. But sporting organizations are often looking at the IOC and their official ruling for guidance to determine their own policies, so this could have some implications for trail running in the near future.