World Rugby has decided to follow the science when it comes to transgender players. Transgender men, will not be permitted to play against women once they have begun taking testosterone because of the advantages it provides. Women who appropriate manhood will have to prove their physical ability and also provide written documentation that they understand the risks to themselves if they play against men. Either way it will be difficult for females who identify as male to play Rugby at all. Transgender women will not be permitted to play against women, even if they drop their testosterone levels. They can only play against men or in open or mixed touch competitions. Males who have been through puberty have distinct advantages over females. The World Rugby policy points to greater speed, strength and stamina for males, putting females at risk in this full impact sport.
Advantages males enjoy due to their biological reality include: Significant increases in total body mass; Significant increases in lean/muscle mass and muscle density; Reduction in body fat mass, improving strength and power-to-weight ratio Increased height, changed dimensions of important levers, greater bone density; Increased haemoglobin levels; Increased heart and lung size; Significantly greater strength (between 50% and 60% by adulthood); Significant speed advantages (between 10% and 15% over various durations); Greater capacity to produce force/power (advantages of between 30% and 40% in explosive movement capabilities); Strength-to-weight and power-toweight advantages, males have a 30-40% strength advantage. World Rugby concluded males cannot compete against females because the “risk of injury is too great”. They particularly described the risk to women in a tackle.
Forces and inertia faced by a smaller and slower player during frequent collisions are significantly greater when in contact with a much larger, faster player. Research has found that the discrepancy in mass and speed is a significant determinant of various head injury risk factors, including neck forces, and linear and angular acceleration of the head. When two opponents in a tackle are significantly different with respect to mass or speed, these risk factors increase significantly. All these factors are 20% and 30% greater when typical male mass is modelled against typical female body mass in the tackle. The discrepancy in scrum forces was also noted as “twice as high for elite men vs elite women, and 40% higher for community level men compared to elite women”. This policy will keep women safe and ensure the sporting field is fair.
Source: Binary
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