Ex-IOC vice-president Kevan Gosper’s trans sport solution

Former IOC vice-president Kevan Gosper has proposed separate sporting competitions for transgender athletes.

Former International Olympic Committee member Kevan Gosper. Picture: AFP

Former International Olympic Committee vice-president Kevan Gosper has proposed separate sporting competitions for transgender athletes to “take the emotion out of the debate”.

Gosper, one of Australia’s most experienced Olympic officials, said transgender female athletes had a real advantage in weight and strength over biological females, which wasn’t fair, but they had the right to compete in sport, “the most universal ­activity”.

“Transgender athletes are a small group but nonetheless ­important and deserving of the opportunity to compete in sport,” Gosper said. “I believe they should get together and form an organisation to build competitions were they can compete against each other in a limited number of sports.”

The debate over transgender athletes competing in women’s sport has raged during the federal election campaign, with the Liberal candidate for the northern Sydney seat of Warringah, Katherine Deves, criticised for her stand on the issue.

Australia’s most decorated Olympian, Emma McKeon, said last week it was unfair for “biologically male” swimmers to compete against female athletes.

“I personally would not want to be racing against someone who is biologically a male,” she said.

Gosper, who won silver for Australia in the 4x400m relay at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, agrees with McKeon, but says sport should adapt to the situation and develop competitions where trans athletes can race against each other on an even playing field. “I’ve watched how sport has adjusted to people with disability – the Paralympics is a great example of this and also the Special Olympics,” he said.

“I have been very much involved in the deaf sports because I have been partially deaf for many years. What I mean by this is that where there is an uneven playing field, there are solutions.”

Gosper said he recognised ­establishing separate sporting competitions for transgender athletes would take time. “But it would allow transgender athletes to compete on an even playing field and enjoy sport as they are entitled to do,” he said. “It would remove the unfairness and take the emotion out of the debate.”

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