Sharron Davies reveals threats faced by her family amid campaign against transgender participation in women’s sport
Sharron Davies has stated that her children have received threats as a result of her activism against transgender participation in women’s sport. In an interview with Martin Daubney, the former Olympian expressed relief at the International Olympic Committee’s recent decision to prohibit trans competitors from female events, reports BritPanorama.
Davies, who has been campaigning on this issue for a decade, acknowledged the announcement but voiced her frustration over its delayed timing. “10 years of my career just disappeared, my children were threatened,” she remarked, highlighting the personal toll her advocacy has taken on her family.
During the discussion, she recounted instances of social isolation where individuals would avoid engaging in conversation with her due to the contentious nature of the topic. “People would sometimes cross the road or try to avoid having conversation with me because I would talk to them about reality, and they didn’t want to talk about reality,” she said.
Expressing disappointment over the length of time it took for the IOC to take action, Davies pointed out the consistency of the scientific evidence regarding the issue over the past decade. “What is so disappointing is that, and I’m so pleased that Kirsty Coventry has done this, the IOC have done this, but she stood there and she said, we have listened to the scientific evidence. Now the scientific evidence has not changed in the last 10 years, it’s exactly the same,” she noted.
Davies described the newly instituted sex screening process as simple, requiring only a brief cheek swab. She dismissed concerns about the invasiveness of this testing, noting that it is less intrusive than the mandatory doping tests already implemented for Olympic athletes. Notably, she referenced the 2016 Rio Olympics 800 metres final as a relevant example, where biological males occupied the top three medal positions, with the first female competitor relegated to fourth.
Highlighting the implications of the IOC’s previous regulations, she remarked that British athlete Lynsey Sharp would have secured an Olympic bronze medal had the current rules been enforced at that time. Despite the challenges faced during her campaign, Davies expressed no regrets about her activism, stating, “But for me, it’s been worth it. I watched that generation miss out, and I couldn’t with all conscience just watch another generation miss out.” She reiterated her commitment to speak out, indicating her readiness to undertake the same journey again if necessary.
Looking ahead, Davies remains critical of the previous leadership in the IOC, accusing former president Thomas Bach of criminal negligence regarding the issue. However, she expressed optimism that Kirsty Coventry, the new IOC president, would uphold the integrity of women’s competitions in the future.
In the evolving landscape of sport, Davies’ journey serves as a reminder of how the complexities of gender and competition can ignite fierce debate, revealing the personal stakes that often underpin public discourse.
