Basketball Victoria set to approve application for transgender athlete to compete in NBL1 South women’s competition

Basketball Victoria will approve an application for a transgender athlete to compete in the NBL1 South women’s competition, after Andrew Bogut tweeted a ‘biological male’ would feature in the league.

Basketball Victoria is set to approve an application for a transgender athlete to compete in the NBL1 South women’s competition.

The contentious transgender debate was reignited on Monday when basketball great Andrew Bogut posted a tweet revealing a “biological man” would be playing in the NBL1 South this season.

Bogut’s tweet has been confirmed by Basketball Victoria, who in collaboration with Basketball Australia are working through the final stages of eligibility for the 2023 season.

The individual and team haven’t been named for privacy reasons, but News Corp understands the team looking to play a transgender athlete is Melbourne club, Kilsyth Cobras.

As part of his initial tweet, Bogut made his feelings about the transgender issue clear.

“Word is @NBL1 South Women will have a biological Male playing this upcoming season,” Bogut tweeted.

“Are you ok with sacrificing the sanctity of Female Sport in the name of “inclusion”? #GirlDads where are you?

“The hashtag is trendy until action is needed.”

Bogut was critical of the decision on social media. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Bogut’s tweet sparked a passionate response on social media.

Two-time championship winning NBL guard Matt Shanahan, whose 16-year-old daughter is on the squad of an NBL1 South team, raised concerns over the decision for a transgender athlete to compete in a women’s elite competition.

“I’m a girl dad who has a 16-year-old daughter in an NBL 1 south squad who has been asked if she would be comfortable with this,” said Shanahan, who is currently coaching the Victorian Metro Under 18s side,

“Opening a massive can of worms if this is allowed.”

NBL player Anthony Drmic described the decision to include a transgender athlete in the NBL1 competition as “wild”.

Frankston Blues forward Chloe Bibby provided a different perspective on the transgender debate in women’s sport.

“As someone who plays in the NBL1, I don’t care what they identify as or their pronouns, she/her, they/them, he/him because regardless I’m still gone try beat their ass on court,” Bibby tweeted.

“They want to play ball & I have nothing but the upmost respect for this person. Go kill it queen.”

Rising star Bibby was a nominee for the WNBL’s Break Out Player of the Year after a brilliant season for Perth Lynx.

It comes as Basketball Victoria has also collaborated with Basketball Australia to deliver the ‘Guidelines for the Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse People in Basketball in Victoria’, these guidelines support participation opportunities for transgender athletes while balancing fairness, inclusion and safety, particularly for Victorian Senior Representative Leagues such as NBL1 South, Big V and CBL.

In developing these guidelines, Basketball Victoria undertook guidance from Basketball Australia, notably its “Guidelines for the Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse People in Community Basketball” document released in December 2021.

Basketball Victoria recognises that there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer as to the eligibility in elite and sub-elite basketball and therefore continues to treat applications to play on a case-by-case basis at these levels.

Kilsyth play in the NBL1 South competition. Picture: David Crosling

Basketball Victoria CEO Nick Honey said the new guidelines aim to provide guidance and support for associations at the community and participation level, with inclusion as the primary focus, while having the safety of all participants at the front of mind.

“It is important that all athletes participate in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and we hope all in the community can move forward together with a clear understanding of the new guidelines” Honey said.

For the 2023 Basketball Victoria competition year (NBL1 South, Big V and CBL), an assessment process has been formulated and overseen by basketball and medical experts.

Basketball Victoria acknowledge the process requires continued improvement and collaboration, so the case-by-case assessment process will remain a focus, consulting with medical experts and members of the transgender and gender diverse community.

Basketball Victoria’s Diversity and Inclusion Manager - Sheena Atkin, added that while basketball has a long history of inclusivity and safe environments for athletes, coaches and officials, the new guidelines provided the clear support and frameworks needed for the whole Victorian community.

Basketball Victoria chief executive Nick Honey says the new guidelines are to pmprove inclusivity. Picture: Facebook

“Basketball has long prided itself as “Everyone’s Game” and this remains the case, particularly at the ‘Community’ level. We recognise there is still much to learn in this space, the new guidelines confirm the inclusion and safety of the LGBITQA+ community into all levels of basketball being an imperative.”

Transgender athletes competing in women’s sport has divided the sporting world over the past 12 months, with many competitions and leagues refusing to play against female-identifying athletes born as a biological man.

It comes as a Christian school in Vermont in the United States forfeited a basketball tournament due to its refusal to play against a transgender athlete.

SHOCK BOGUT CLAIM REIGNITES TRANSGENDER ATHLETE DEBATE

Basketball great Andrew Bogut has reignited the transgender debate in female sport after posting a tweet suggesting a “biological man” would be playing in the NBL1 women’s competition this season.

Bogut took to his personal Twitter account on Monday morning to allege an athlete who was born a man will play in the women’s NBL1 South, which starts next month.

The Boomers and NBA legend didn’t name the player or the team, but made his feelings known about the contentious transgender issue.

“Word is @NBL1 South Women will have a biological Male playing this upcoming season,” Bogut wrote.

“Are you ok with sacrificing the sanctity of Female Sport in the name of “inclusion”? #GirlDads where are you?

“The hashtag is trendy until action is needed.”

Word is @NBL1 South Women will have a biological Male playing this upcoming season.

Are you ok with sacrificing the sanctity of Female Sport in the name of “inclusion”? #GirlDads where are you?

The hashtag is trendy until action is needed.

— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) March 12, 2023

Transgender athletes competing in women’s sport has divided the sporting world over the past 12 months, with many competitions and leagues refusing to play against female-identifying athletes born as a biological male.

It comes as a Christian school in Vermont in the United States forfeited a basketball tournament due to its refusal to play against a transgender athlete.

Former NBA star Andrew Bogut. Picture: Getty

On February 21 this year, the Vermont Christian school’s girls basketball team was scheduled to play an out-of-state tournament against Long Trail school. This changed when the school opted to forfeit the game due to a transgender player on Long Trail’s team.

“We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardises the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” MCVS head of school Vicky Fogg said in a statement. “Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”