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Sky News AU
27 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Liberal senator Claire Chandler calls for Australia to follow US Olympic and Paralympic Committee in barring transgender athletes from competition
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.
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Milan wins Tour's 17th stage, Pogacar retains yellow
Italian Jonathan Milan has claimed his second victory in this year's Tour de France when he won a crash-disrupted sprint at the end of the 17th stage. Milan prevailed in a 10-man dash to the line after the peloton was held up behind a massive crash with just one kilometre to go as riders went down on slippery roads in rainy south eastern France on Wednesday. The spill involved Milan's rival sprinter Tim Merlier and others under the "flamme rouge" — the triangular red banner over the road signalling the final kilometer. Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay came off worse and was attended to by race doctors. "The last 25 kilometres were really, really, fast," said Merlier, who finished 25th, more than a minute behind Milan. "I think I did a mistake. I took one roundabout on the wrong side and I lost a lot of positions. And then I knew I needed to move up. The moment I wanted to move up, I crashed." Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) crossed the finish line safely to retain the overall leader's yellow jersey. "I'm really happy and without words, I have to say. After surviving (the ascent to the Mont Ventoux on Tuesday) I didn't survive alone," said a relieved Milan, who holds the green jersey for the points classification. "I survived all this with the help of my teammates. I really have to practice this because without all this I would not be here. Maybe I would have already dropped in one of the climbs (of the day). "So, with the help every single day of my teammates, we achieved this result. Today was a really tough stage... We controlled it from the beginning, of course, with the help of some other teams. But they helped me also when I dropped. In the first climb, in the second one, they really did a good pace." Frenchmen Quentin Pacher and Mathieu Burgaudeau, as well as Jonas Abrahamsen of Norway and Italian Vincenzo Albanese, broke away early but stood little chance against the collective power of the sprinters' teams. With the peloton breathing down their necks, Abrahamsen went solo with 11km remaining, only to be reined in 4.3km from the line. Milan was the strongest in the reduced sprint, edging out Jordi Meeus of Belgium and Denmark's Tobias Lund Andresen, who were second and third respectively. Adelaide racer Jarrad Drizners was clocked as first Australian home in 13th place, helping his Lotto teammate Arnaud de Lie to fourth on the day after joining a massed group in the rain-soaked sprint finish. Queenslander Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was placed 20th. Ben O'Connor, in 12th place, 31:08 seconds behind Pogacar, remains the only Australian among the top 25 General Classification riders. Norwegian cyclist Tobias Halland Johannessen remains eighth overall after returning to the race despite collapsing and needing oxygen after going down at the finish line on Tuesday's 16th stage on Mont Ventoux. Thursday's 18th stage is a brutal mountain trek between Vif and the Col de la Loze, one of the most feared ascents in the Tour de France.
7NEWS
6 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Sam Stosur annnounces birth of second child, daughter Emmeline Grace
Australian tennis legend Sam Stosur has announced the birth of her second child, a daughter named Emmeline Grace. The former US Open winner took to Instagram to announce the news on Wednesday night. 'And beautiful chaos reigns once again,' she wrote. 'Welcome Emmeline Grace. Evie is beyond happy to have a little sister and we are over the moon. We love you so much little Emmy.' Stosur has been in a relationship with Liz Astling, who gave birth to Evie five years ago, since 2016. This time around the former world No.4 carried the child. The Queenslander retired from tennis after the 2023 Australian Open, following a mixed doubles loss alongside countryman Matt Ebden. She had retired from singles the previous year after a career which netted more than US$21 million in prizemoney. Stosur's straight-sets US Open final win over Serena Williams came the year after her maiden grand slam decider at the French Open, which she lost to Francesca Schiavone.
