Martina Navratilova on Austin Killips' cycling triumph: 'Women’s sports is NOT THE PLACE' for trans athletes
Navratilova has been an outspoken critic about transgender women competing against biological female athletes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tennis legend Martina Navratilova added her voice to the uproar over transgender cyclist Austin Killips winning the women’s overall category at the Tour of the Gila event in New Mexico.
Killips became the first transgender woman to take home a victory in an official Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) stage event. The UCI is the world governing body for sports cycling.
On Wednesday, Navratilova spoke out about Killips’ win.
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Austin Killips pictured on the podium after the women's elite race of the 'Kasteelcross' cyclocross in January 2023. (DAVID PINTENS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
"this will happen more and more- women’s sports is NOT THE PLACE for trans identified male athletes," she wrote on Twitter as she tweeted a New York Post article about the win.
The UCI defended its rules governing transgender participation in its sport.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The UCI acknowledges that transgender athletes may wish to compete in accordance with their gender identity," the organization said Tuesday.
"The UCI rules are based on the latest scientific knowledge and have been applied in a consistent manner. The UCI continues to follow the evolution of scientific findings and may change its rules in the future as scientific knowledge evolves."
CYCLING GOVERNING BODY DEFENDS TRANSGENDER PARTICIPATION RULES AFTER UPROAR
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jun 6, 2015; Paris, France; Serena Williams (USA) and Martina Navratilova pose with the trophy after her match against Lucie Safarova (CZE) on day 14 of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros. (Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports)
The UCI tightened its rules for transgender female riders to compete against biological females in its events. According to Reuters, the organization halved the maximum permitted plasma testosterone level to 2.5 nanomoles per liter and doubled the transition period to 24 months.
The nine-time Wimbledon champion has been an activist for the gay community but has been against transgender women competing against biological women in sports.
In March, she applauded World Athletics for adopting a policy to exclude transgender female athletes from women’s competitions. She called it a "step in the right direction."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In the wake of World Athletics’ announcement, I think the best idea would be to have ‘biological female’ and ‘biological girls’ categories and then an ‘open’ category," she wrote in an op-ed in The Times of UK. "It would be a category for all-comers: men who identify as men; women who identify as women; women who identify as men; men who identify as women; non-binary — it would be a catch-all. This is already being explored in athletics and swimming in Britain.
"Biological females are most likely to compete in the biological female category, as that’s their best shot at winning and it maintains the principle of fairness. With an ‘open’ category there are no question marks, no provisos, no asterisks, no doubts. It’s a simple solution.
"Once somebody has gone through male puberty, there is no way to erase that physical advantage. You cannot simply turn back the clock, for instance by trying to lower testosterone levels."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Split photo of Martina Navratilova and Austin Killips. (Getty Images)
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Navratilova said she hoped the decision would lead to other sports following its lead.