Liberal senator Claire Chandler calls for Australia to follow US Olympic and Paralympic Committee in barring transgender athletes from competition

Sky News AU

23-07-2025

Liberal Senator Claire Chandler has called for the Australian Olympic Committee to follow the United States' lead and ban transgender athletes from competition.
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) quietly updated its eligibility rules on Monday, slipping into its 27-page Athlete Safety Policy a section saying it would 'collaborate with various stakeholders… to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201'.
Executive Order 14201 is more widely known as the Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports order, which US President Donald Trump signed in February.
In a letter to governing sporting bodies obtained by US media outlets, USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland and president Gene Sykes said the updated policy 'emphasises the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women.'
'All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment,' the letter warned.
The move follows last year's Olympics controversy surrounding gold medalist boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who are not transgender but reportedly failed prior gender eligibility tests.
Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo also became the first Paralympic transgender athlete to compete last year.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard was the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics in 2021.
Senator Chandler welcomed the move by USOPC, calling on the Australian committee to take similar steps.
'The Australian Olympic Committee should be doing what all sporting organisations around the world are doing and recognising that female athletes want to have their sporting categories protected,' Senator Chandler said.
'I'm very glad to see sporting organisations finally recognising the need to protect female-only sport, but frankly speaking, it's taken far too long to get to this point.
'We know that World Athletics, World Swimming, World Rugby, all these peak international sporting organisations over the last five years have realised that women's sport needs protecting. It is well past time that Australian sporting organisations start doing exactly the same thing.'
The Liberal called for her parliamentary colleagues to revive her failed Save Women's Sports bill, a private member's bill she introduced in 2022.
'My Save Women's Sports bill is just as relevant now as it was three or four years ago, when I first introduced it to the parliament, and it's ridiculous that women and girls in Australia don't have a legal right to their own sport,' Senator Chandler said.
'That bill is still there and if anyone - government, Coalition, crossbench - wants to pick that bill up and try and get it through the parliament, I think that would be a very useful conversation for us as a parliament to have.'
While some sporting bodies including swimming, athletics and cycling have banned transgender participating in international women's competitions, others have been more inclusive.
Women's Forum Australia head of advocacy Stephanie Bastiaan said it's 'common sense' for all sporting bodies to reform their policies based on women's sex-based rights.
'We know that women are being injured, we know that they're losing spots at the Olympics and in these categories due to the fact these sporting bodies are not protecting them on the basis of biological sex and I think that they need to put their foot down and make sure that it happens,' Ms Bastiaan said.
'This is a great outcome for girls in the US. The Trump administration is to be commended for its proactive approach in protecting women's sport.
'We need the Australian government to follow suit, bringing in legislative reforms that mandate sporting bodies protect the female category on the basis of biological sex, so that all girls - regardless of whether they're playing at a community, state or elite level - have the right to a safe, fair and equal playing field.'
Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown said Australian sporting bodies including the AOC had been navigating the issues around transgender inclusion in a 'sensible and practical way'.
'We hope they continue to prioritise inclusion and only restrict participation where there is a clear risk to safety or fairness,' Ms Brown said.
She said given the 'tiny number of trans athletes playing in any sport', a case-by-case approach remained feasible and the most effective way to protect individual rights over 'blunt and harmful blanket bans'.
'Sporting organisations across Australia have worked hard to include trans women and to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and can participate safely and fairly,' Ms Brown said.
'As recently as 2023, after extensive consultation and research, the Australian Institute of Sport found there was no case for a blanket ban on trans athletes in any sport, even at the elite level.
'Its guidelines encourage sporting bodies in Australia to start from a position of inclusion and state that any restrictions must be justified on a case-by-case basis, where strength, stamina and physique are relevant, and be no more restrictive than necessary to ensure meaningful competition for everyone.'
An AOC spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.