- Paula Radcliffe believes ‘cruelty’ is damaging the debate over trans athletes
- World Athletics chief Seb Coe warned female Olympians about trans athletes
- He said if trans athletes can compete, they will never win another gold medal
Paula Radcliffe slammed the “depravity” in the debate over trans athletes, saying it has made everything “very complicated”.
The 50-year-old former world champion said every person deserves respect and that no outcome will be achieved if people continue to insult “from one side to the other.”
The athlete said the ongoing debate makes it harder for younger athletes to “navigate their way through” growing up — which is hard enough.
Speaking on the Performance People podcast, Radcliffe said: ‘You talked about the whole trans debate, the cruelty that goes out there and the insults that are thrown from one side to the other.
‘At the end of the day we are all human.
Paula Radcliffe believes ‘cruelty’ makes the debate over trans athletes ‘too complicated’
The 50-year-old former world champion emphasizes that every person deserves respect and that no outcome will be achieved if people continue to insult ‘from one side to the other’
Transgender pool champion Harriet Haynes (above) opened up about the ‘horrific’ and ‘despicable’ abuse she has been subjected to since her opponent walked out in protest during a match last year
“We’re all trying to live our lives and there has to be a fair, safe way to do that. But every person deserves the respect to be what he wants to be and to be who he wants to be.
“It doesn’t mean you have to get there by insulting the other side. We’re all in the same boat.’
Last week, World Athletics chairman Seb Coe warned that female Olympians would never win another gold medal if they had to compete against transgender athletes.
His comments came days after British swimmer Sharron Davies – who lost gold in 1980 to an opponent using testosterone – warned against trans women competing with women.
During her career, Radcliffe represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games four times and in 2002 she was Commonwealth champion in the 5000 metres.
The athlete was awarded an MBE in 2002 and is also a three-time winner of the London Marathon.
World Athletics president Seb Coe (above) warned last week that female Olympians would never win another gold medal if they had to compete against transgender athletes
Former British swimmer Sharron Davies (above) – who lost gold in 1980 to an opponent using testosterone – has spoken out against trans women competing with women in sport
Radcliffe said the “world has become too complicated,” adding: “The real answers are much simpler than people realize they are. That has been lost sight of.’
She added: ‘I think it’s made it very complicated now and how we bring that back to making it as simple as possible certainly feels like it’s going to be a much easier world for the kids to navigate their way through.
‘Even in an easy world, growing up teenagers isn’t easy, is it? You learn a lot of things about yourself, you have to process a lot of changes, it’s difficult.
“So we’re just making it harder.”