Importance of Safe and Fair Sport for Women and Girls

That the Parliament recognises the importance of safe and fair sport for women and girls as it marks Scottish Women & Girls in Sport Week, which takes place between 30 September and 6 October 2024; acknowledges the reported concerns of some that emerged during the 2024 Paris Olympics regarding the gender eligibility of two athletes in the women’s boxing competition, as well as the participation of a transgender runner in the women’s T12 200m and 400m sprints at the Paralympics; highlights the action taken by some governing sports' bodies, including World Athletics, Fina, World Rugby and World Netball, to prevent transgender women from competing in the female category while further research is carried out into physical performance and male advantage; recognises the findings of the report, Violence against women and girls in sports, by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, including that “males’ average punching power has been measured as 162% greater than females” and that “by 30 March 2024, over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports” as a result of the introduction of a mixed-sex category; further recognises the findings of the BBC Elite British Sportswomen’s Study 2024, in which, it understands, more than 100 elite sportswomen said they would be “uncomfortable with transgender women competing in female categories in their sport”, but that they reportedly expressed fears over being seen as discriminatory if they went public with their opinions; understands that, across the north east and the rest of Scotland more widely, there is a persistent gender gap in participation rates in sport between females and males; believes that, as society seeks to tackle the barriers that prevent female participation in sport, parliamentarians, public figures and the media should be able to discuss freely the implications of inclusion policies in sport for women and girls without recrimination or condemnation, and further believes that single-sex categories in sport, from grassroots to elite level, should be protected.