Wimbledon and BBC legend Sue Barker has backed calls for a ban on self-identified trans women competing in sport with biological women.
The TV presenter has revealed she agrees with former tennis talent Martina Navratilova, saying the dreams of ‘young girls’ are at stake.
Nine-time Wimbledon singles champion Navratilova has been one of the most vocal opponents of allowing transgender female athletes to compete in women’s sports. She described them as “failed male athletes.”
She is now supported by 73-year-old Barker, who won the French Open in 1976 and presented the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage for 30 years until 2022.
Her comments come in the wake of controversies over transgender female competitors such as American swimmer Lia Thomas, Welsh cyclist Emily Bridges and Dutch darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
Former tennis champion and BBC Wimbledon presenter Sue Barker has said she agrees with Martina Navratilova over the inclusion of transgender female athletes in women’s sport
Martina Navratilova, pictured at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid last month, has criticized transgender women as ‘failed male athletes’
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas (left) is pictured next to Riley Gaines after they finished tied for fifth in a 200-meter freestyle final in Atlanta, Georgia, in March 2022.
At the request of the Telegraph On whether she agreed with Navratilova’s position on self-identification in sports, Barker said: “I just think you’re taking away the dreams of the young girls, so I’m definitely with Navratilova.”
She told MailOnline she would have no further comment.
Critics of people biologically born male competing in women’s sports include British former Olympians Daley Thompson and Sharron Davies.
Two-time gold medalist Thompson wrote in the Mail last December that he felt it was ‘sad’ that equal rights for transgender people had been ‘suppressed’, but insisted there should be a new ‘open’ category rather than allowing them participate in women’s events.
And culture secretary Lucy Frazer has called for a ban on transgender athletes competing against women, writing in the Mail: ‘We need to get back to giving women a level playing field to compete. We must give women a sporting opportunity.’
Navratilova, 66, posted on X, formerly Twitter, in February this year: “I will keep saying this like nausea until the rules change: women’s sports are no place for failed male athletes.
‘Keep male bodies out of women’s sports; they are free to compete in the men’s category.’
She was reacting to the news that a transgender student won the girls high jump state championship in New Hampshire, US.
Last year, she sided with World Athletics for pushing for a policy banning transgender female athletes from internationally recognized women’s competitions. She called this a “step in the right direction.”
She wrote in the Times: “In the wake of the World Athletics announcement, I think it would be the best idea to have ‘biological women’ and ‘biological girls’ categories, and then an ‘open’ category.”
Sue Barker stepped down as the BBC’s main Wimbledon presenter at the 2022 Championships
Barker’s greatest triumph during her tennis career was winning the French Open in 1976
Navratilova has also criticized the US Tennis Association for its Transgender Inclusion Policy, which states that trans athletes should be included and not excluded from playing the sport.
The document states: ‘It is necessary to ensure, as far as possible, that transgender athletes are not excluded from the opportunity to participate in sporting competitions.
‘The overarching sporting goal is and remains to guarantee fair competition. Restrictions on participation are appropriate to the extent necessary and proportionate to achieving this objective.”
Navratilova replied: ‘Come on @USTA – women’s tennis is not for failed male athletes, regardless of age.
“This is not right and it is not fair. Could this be allowed at the US Open this month? Only with self-ID? I do not think so…’
Earlier this month, swimmer Lia Thomas, 25, lost a legal battle that ruled her out of possible participation in the US at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
In 2022, Thomas had become the first trans athlete to win the NCAA women’s college swimming title – the most prestigious college title in the US.
But World Aquatics later changed the rules so that no one who had experienced “any part of male puberty” could compete in the female category – and also created an “open” category for which transgender athletes would be eligible.
Martina Navratilova (right) has criticized the US Tennis Association for its position on the issue
The tennis star posted on X, formerly Twitter, about people she calls “failed male athletes.”
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer (pictured) has said governing bodies have a duty to give female athletes a ‘sporting opportunity’ because male rivals have an ‘indisputable advantage’.
The sport’s governing body introduced their new policy after Thomas defeated Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant by 1.75 seconds to win NCAA gold.
Thomas — who swam for the Pennsylvania men’s team for three seasons before starting hormone replacement therapy in early 2019 — asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn the rule change.
The three-judge CAS panel rejected Thomas’s request for arbitration with World Aquatics.
They said Thomas was “simply not entitled to be eligible to participate in WA competitions such as the Olympics or world championships” because he was no longer part of US swimming.
Thomas’ legal team called the ruling “deeply disappointing,” adding, “A blanket ban that prevents trans women from competing is discriminatory and deprives us of valuable athletic opportunities that are central to our identity.”
The ruling was welcomed by fellow American swimmer Riley Gaines, who tied for fifth with Thomas in a 200-meter freestyle final in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2022.
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Gaines called it “a victory for women and girls everywhere.”
Riley Gaines (right) led the celebrations on social media after transgender swimmer Lia Thomas (left) lost her legal battle to compete in women’s events at the Olympics
Trans cyclist Emily Bridges has vowed to take British Cycling to court after it banned transgender women from competing in the female category last year
Trans dart player Noa-Lynn van Leuven faced a boycott by a rival last month during the Dutch Open
Trans cyclist Emily Bridges, 23, also missed out on competing in the Paris Olympics after British Cyclist excluded transgender women from competing in the female category last year.
She admitted earlier this year that her hopes for Paris were “now dashed” but vowed to take British Cycling to court to overturn the ban and help future transgender competitors.
Last month, a British female darts player lost her chance to win the Denmark Open after refusing to face transgender player Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
Deta Hedman, 64, who has been an outspoken critic of rules allowing transgender women to compete in women’s tournaments, withdrew from the quarterfinals and called for a ban on athletes born as biological males.