The integrity of women’s sports relies on clear, biologically based categories that ensure fair competition and equal opportunity. Men and women differ in fundamental physical characteristics, including muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular capacity, and speed, which provide males with significant performance advantages, even after hormonal intervention. Allowing men, including those who identify as women, to compete in female categories undermines the core purpose of women’s sport: to create a level playing field for biological females.

Women’s sports exist precisely because male physical advantages in strength, size, and power would otherwise dominate nearly all competitive records, leaving women unable to compete for podium places or scholarships. Scientific studies consistently show that male athletic performance, particularly in speed and power sports, far exceeds that of females at every level of competition. Even when testosterone is suppressed, many male advantages persist, as puberty-induced changes to the skeleton and musculature are not fully reversed.

Permitting male-bodied athletes into women’s categories leads to predictable and visible displacement of female athletes, eroding their chances for medals, recognition, and advancement. It also undermines the principle of equal opportunity, discouraging girls and women from pursuing sport and risking the hard-won gains of decades of advocacy for women’s athletics.

Protecting sex-based categories is not about exclusion or prejudice, but about preserving the integrity and purpose of women’s sport. Only by upholding fair and safe competition, rooted in biological reality, can sporting bodies maintain trust, inspire the next generation, and guarantee that women’s sports remain truly for women.