The NCAA has been asked by nine Republican governors to change its “misguided policies” and stop allowing men to participate in women’s sports.
The letter, dated Tuesday, argues that policies that allow men and women to compete against each other validate an ordinary male athlete taking the recognition of a truly outstanding female athlete.
The NCAA currently allows the national governing body of each sport to determine a policy on transgender competitors.
“Science proves that it is fundamentally unfair for a biological male to compete against a biological female — that does not change when someone declares themselves as being of a different gender,” the letter states, citing that the National Institute for Health found a 10 percent difference between the top performing males and females in athletic competition.
The letter makes reference to American track and field star Allyson Felix, who has a personal best of 49.62 seconds in the 400-meter dash and has won 25 medals at international competitions. According to the governors, “hundreds of high school aged boys have run faster times than that,” and science shows that “male and female bodies are biologically different.”
The letter was signed by governors Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Sarah Sanders of Arkansas, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Mike Parson of Missouri, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Joe Lombardo of Texas, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.
“Due to the lack of action at the federal level, governors have become the last line of defense for protecting fairness in women’s and girls’ sports,” reads the letter.
The letter makes reference to the case of Riley Gaines, who finished tied for fifth place with a male swimmer named Lia Thomas in the women’s 200-meter event at the NCAA swimming championships.
“Traditionally, when two swimmers tie, they both stand on top of the podium — but Riley was told that the trophy was going to be given to Lia,” the letter adds. According to the article, “Riley’s lifetime of achievement was ripped away from her by someone who shouldn’t have even been in the race — all for a photo op.”
With the NCAA’s “misguided policies” in place, the governors say, “stories like Riley Gaines’ will only become more common.”
The letter is written to the NCAA’s Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport, but it also makes mention of NCAA President Charlie Baker, a former Republican governor of Massachusetts.
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