International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential hopeful Kirsty Coventry has hardened her views on gender and sport, vowing to keep female competition for biological females if she is elected to replace Thomas Bach. Coventry has also indicated there will be several changes to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, particularly the sports on the program, but also administratively. Coventry, a 41-year-old from Zimbabwe, is one of the top candidates for the job, and is considered a favourite, along with World Athletics president Sebastian Coe and Spanish banker Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. Another four candidates, international cycling chief David Lappartient, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, International Gymnastics Federation chief Morinari Watanabe and the president of the International Ski Federation Johan Eliasch, are considered outsiders. If the 101 IOC members choose Coventry in the vote held on March 20, she will be the first female president and the first from Africa to head the multibillion-dollar organisation. She will also be a generation younger than many of the members.
In recent weeks, as the presidential campaign has intensified, Coventry has become more opposed to trans women – who are biologically men – competing in the female category. She said a woman is “when you are born a female”, adding that the whole conversation around gender was very simple. “I think every single human being should have access to sport, regardless of your gender,’’ she said. “But when it comes to competing at the Olympic Games and in international competitions there is just two categories: (biological) male and (biological) female.” Coventry has faced criticism for not speaking out earlier, given she was a member of the IOC executive board that allowed the two controversial boxers, Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who the International Boxing Federation said had failed gender tests, to compete as women at the Paris Olympics because that’s what was recorded on their passports. She said, “there are always lessons to be learned” and said there was now abundant evidence to show biological males have an unfair advantage competing in the female category.
Another candidate, Coe, has been long outspoken on this issue, saying he would not have allowed the two to compete, and he has already banned biological male participation in the female category in his sport of track and field. In recent days Samaranch has also spoken out against transgender participation in the women’s category. Coventry said the IOC had to take a “clearer” leadership position on the issue and not relegate the issue to the sports federations. “The majority of international federations have really worked quite hard over the last two years, with their medical and scientific commissions, to come up with rules and regulations and I don’t want to redo what’s already been done, but I’d like to hear from them, and I’d like for us as the IOC to take a clearer position,’’ she said. Coventry will have to immediately resign her role as the IOC member overseeing the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games if she wins the presidency. Her many other hats with the World Anti-Doping Agency, the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and as Sports Minister in the Zimbabwe government will also have to go.
“I would have to sadly give up the co-ordination commission chair for the Brisbane Olympics, but I have full confidence in who would replace me,’’ Coventry said this week. “I already have an idea of who that person is and I will obviously have discussions with (chairman) Andrew (Liveris) and with (chief executive Cindy Hook) and with the team, but yes, I would have to step aside from that role.” Coventry has also revealed that the sports program for the 2032 Olympics will be reviewed. “I have already had a few conversations with IOC members and with quite a few international federation presidents. We have to make changes. We can’t just continue to grow for growth’s sake. We are going to have a very serious sit down and have a conversation around the sports, and more specifically the events in each sport.’’ She said any review of the sports on the Olympic program would “look at the data” and analyse viewing habits, popularity and relevance to today’s world. “Potentially it’s not going to be the easiest conversation, but it’s a conversation that we need to have,’’ she said.
Coventry said the new sports which have been on the Olympic program for a couple of years will also face scrutiny. “Where are they going, how are we going to fund them? Are we going to have a little bit more of a flexible program? “We’re tasting that in the youth Olympic Games, and you’ll see that in Dakar, but how is that going to impact the Olympic Games?” Modern pentathlon has changed its structure, introducing an obstacle course instead of equestrian in a bid to stay on the Olympic program. New sports like surfing and 3×3 basketball, skateboarding and BMX have proven popular but breakdancing, even with the headline controversy of Australia’s Raygun at the Paris Olympics, looks destined to be scrapped. Of the new sports added to the 2028 Olympics program only cricket looks to have widespread support beyond Los Angeles, with lacrosse and “flag football” (a version of tag rugby) already considered too niche by many IOC members.
Source: The Australian