Kristy Coventry explains why she supports Donald Trump’s stance on wanting to ban transgender athletes from participating in women sports.
International Olympic Committee presidential candidate Kirsty Coventry has said transgender athletes need to be banned from participating in female sports categories.
Coventry, one of the most successful African Olympian, vowed to ensure equal opportunity for women. The seven-time Olympic medallist and a member of the IOC executive board since 2018, told the Daily Mail: ‘”Protecting the female category and female sports is paramount – it’s a priority that we collectively come together.”
The Zimbabwean has launched a historic bid to lead the IOC, challenging norms with her vision for inclusivity and innovation.
“There is more and more scientific research. We are not having a conversation about how it is detrimental to men’s sport. That, in itself, says we need to protect women’s sport. It is very clear that transgender women are more able in the female category, and can take away opportunities that should be equal for women.”
Individual sports were effectively able to set their own rules during the 2024 Paris Olympics, but this stance created a myriad of different policies. The 41-year-old would become the youngest person, and the first from outside Europe or North America, to lead the IOC in its 130-year history.
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Coventry was part of the executive board at the Paris Olympics, where Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif won gold after being allowed to compete despite being disqualified from the World Championships in 2023, having reportedly failed gender eligibility tests.
The incident prompted Coventry to say: “I don’t believe this is something in hindsight we could have predicted, these boxers had bouts against each other and there hadn’t been previous issues.”
World Athletics have implemented stringent measures over transgender athletes competing as women. It was ruled that athletes must reduce or maintain their testosterone level to below 2.5 nanomoles per litre.
Coventry’s stance has already been made clear by US President Donald Trump, with transgender rights becoming a political hot button in recent years.
Republicans at all levels campaigned on the issue in November’s election, with particular focus on transgender women participating in school sports. Trump pledged during his campaign to restrict gender-affirming care and transgender sports participation.
