Martina
Navratilova reacted to the victory of a transgender athlete in a women's race.
The
discussion about the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports
competitions remains controversial. The 18-times Grand Slam champion, Martina
Navratilova, has expressed her disagreement with allowing them to compete in
the women's category on several occasions, and she has once again voiced her
opinion.
According
to information shared on Twitter, it was revealed that Kaylee Horn won a 5km
race in just over 16 minutes, far ahead of Rita Petrocco, who finished in
second place with over 24 minutes:
"5k
race in Ottawa: trans-identifying man raced in F 50-59 category and came in
first of all women, beating out 2nd place teenage track star, ruining a
glorious moment for her. Winner's time would actually be a world record for
women in that age group."
"What
an utter joke," Martina Navratilova wrote.
Navratilova
has previously expressed that she is in favor of men who identify as women
participating in sports, as long as they compete in the male category or in the
"open" category:
"Can
males who identify as women be accommodated in sports? Of course. They can play
in the men’s category. The men’s category can be redefined as 'open.' Or they
can create their own events, as the Gay Games have done every four years since
1982," she said recently.
"I
support any accommodations so long as male athletes do not take participation
opportunities or scholarships from female athletes," Martina Navratilova
added.
"The
female category was created to provide opportunities for women to compete
fairly. It was always intended to exclude males. We need to keep excluding
them. I promised to educate myself, and I have. I plan to keep advocating for
fair competitions—and equal rights—for female athletes. I hope you’ll join
me," former world No. 1 concluded.
