“The National-New Zealand First Coalition Agreement commits the Government to ensuring publicly funded sporting bodies support fair competition that is not compromised by rules relating to gender.
“It is important that transgender people feel able to participate in community sport – but there are obviously difficult issues for sporting bodies to grapple with around fairness and safety as a result of that participation.”
He said he expected an update from Sport NZ in the coming months.
In response, InsideOut outlined the importance of any discussion over trans inclusion in sport include consultation with the community itself.
“A recent report from a UN expert acknowledges that all people - including trans and non-binary people - have the right to participate in sport,” said managing director Tabby Beasley.
“We hope Sport NZ and the Government will continue to acknowledge this right, and to consider the safety and wellbeing of trans and non-binary people who we know face significant barriers to participation in sport.
“With any updates it is important that the original intent of the guidelines is maintained and trans communities are consulted in the process. When we talk about fairness and safety we need to ensure that these words aren’t being used to disguise transphobia or sex discrimination.
“The existing community guidelines already speak to ensuring fairness in participation and we believe the first consideration under fairness is whether all people have the opportunity to participate in sport. I would encourage people to think about those most directly affected by current media debates and campaigns around these topics.
“We aren’t talking about elite sport here, we’re talking about trans people who simply want to be able to play on their school or community sports team.”
Several high-profile New Zealand sporting identities and Olympians recently signed an open letter urging the Government to “prioritise fairness and safety” by rethinking the guiding principles for transgender athletes participating in sports.
Labour spokesperson for sport and recreation Peeni Henare meanwhile responded by stating decisions over trans participation in sport need to be left to individual bodies to determine, as opposed to a blanket rule over an entire community.
“Sport NZ wants inclusivity - and we agree,” he told the Herald. “Sporting codes are the best bodies to make decisions regarding participation and competitions but, overall, we should be aiming for a sporting culture in NZ that’s inclusive.
“All New Zealanders have the right to participate in local, community sports and to be treated with empathy and respect.”
More than 50 former Olympians, including gold medal winners Barbara Kendall and Joseph Sullivan, four-time Olympian Steven Ferguson and former Silver Fern Anna Stanley (nee Rowberry), signed the letter that challenges the Government to ban male advantage from women’s sports.
The letter claimed Sport New Zealand’s guidelines disregard the rights of female athletes and allow males who identify as female to compete in women’s sports without any explanation or transition. The group argue that accepting self-identification of gender as the sole criterion for inclusion goes against scientific evidence and disrespects female athletes, emphasising the importance of ensuring a fair and safe future for the next generation of female athletes from community sports to the elite level.
The group believes Sport NZ is out of step with recognising the biological and physiological differences and inherent genetic advantages between sexes in sports.
Dave Gerrard, former Olympic swimmer, Commonwealth Games gold medallist, chef de mission and sport medical doctor, told the Herald the primary concern was the permission granted to transgender athletes – from male to female – in elite sport.
“Although Sport NZ are making it clear their policy addresses community sport and recreation it’s hard to imagine you could allow someone to compete under self-identification and then get to a point where they are perhaps considered good enough to be selected for a provincial or representation at more elite level such as national or world championships,” Gerrard said. “There’s a fine line between saying we want inclusivity based on self-identification but then when do we then tell those individuals ‘sorry this is as far as you can go’.”
