– This made a bad day a little better, writes Emily Bridges on Instagram after the nomination was announced on Monday. The cyclist is one of four candidates who can win the so-called Dan Porter Prize, an award given to a person or group who has overcome adversity and made a positive impact in university sports. Bridges has had enough of adversity. The 21-year-old has been in a massive storm in the UK in recent months – a storm even the Prime Minister has been involved in. Will be refused to participate It all started with Bridges coming out as transgender in October 2020. Until then, the cyclist had done well on the men’s side, among other things by setting British junior records for men at distances of 10 and 25 English miles. In 2021, the trans woman will start hormone treatment, and in April this year, she would actually participate in the women’s class in the British track championships. That was not the case, however. Two days before the competition, she received a counter-notification from the British Cycling Federation (BC), after the International Cycling Union (UCI) had put her foot down. Bridges had met the previous requirement of the British special federation – that riders in the women’s category must have had testosterone levels below five nanomoles per liter for one year before the competition, according to Sky Sports. In comparison, men usually have a testosterone level between 7 to 30 nmol / L, while women usually have less than 3 nmol / L. Nevertheless, the plans were stopped, when the UCI informed the British Cycling Federation that Bridges’ participation was a violation of the international framework. As a result, the national federation suspended its own rules, and they have now promised a full review. In the meantime, trans women are not allowed to compete in the women’s classes. – No one should have to choose between being who they are, and participating in the sport they love, the main character himself wrote on Instagram. And then Boris Johnson came on the field. – I do not think biological men should compete in female sports events. Maybe it’s controversial to say, but that makes sense to me, the head of state said, according to the BBC. According to Bridges, this statement is said to have started a hate storm against her. – It is very strange to see what is probably the most famous man in Britain, talk about you and have an opinion about something he does not know anything about. PROTEST: Posters with messages like this were held up by the supporters at the British track championship, where Bridges was refused to participate. (Exactly this picture is taken during a sewing session in the USA). Photo: John Bazemore / AP She said this in a TV broadcast on ITV last week. – The response was as expected. I received threats of physical violence from a complete stranger. People have the right to have an opinion, but they do not have to threaten me with broken kneecaps to get that opinion, said the cyclist, who thus far has not participated in a competition for women. Bridges added that the comment scared her in public, and that she feared being known on the street. Supported and criticized In the wake of the overthrow of the British Cycling Union and the involvement of the Prime Minister, there have been many reactions and notices. Olympic winner Katie Archibald went out and publicly supported her cycling colleague, – These guidelines have seen the athletes, their involvement in sports and their personal lives under intense scrutiny when all the athletes have done is follow the rules, was her comment on the UCI’s treatment of trans women. Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies has done the opposite of supporting, and she encourages more people to do the same. CLEAR SPEECH: Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies has thrown herself into the debate. Photo: Screenshot / Twitter – I am disappointed that profiled athletes who understand that men in women’s sports are unfair, do not speak out in public, are her message on Twitter. – We did not let emotions control how we categorize sports, it would be madness, she says. I think there should be room for everyone But Emily Bridges is certainly not the first to make headlines because of gender identity and top sports. In the USA, the swimmer Lia Thomas took care of the same, and last summer the weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who participated in the women’s class at the Olympics, was the main character in the “eternal debate”. Ross Tucker is a researcher and expert on testosterone in sports. He believes the sport is impossible to do justice to women and at the same time include trans women. – One must understand why women’s sports exist. Women should be protected from “male benefits” in sports, he has said in the podcast “The Real Science of Sport”. Håvard B. Øvregård, senior adviser for value work in the Norwegian Sports Confederation, thinks there should be room for everyone in sports. – We have sports joy for everyone as a vision for Norwegian sports. This is the reason why our advice to sports teams and federations is that in grassroots sports, everyone should be allowed to participate in the gender category they identify with. In top sports, it is the IOC’s framework that applies. It was updated in November 2021. – My experience is that when one takes into account real people, the problem becomes much simpler, Øvregård concludes.
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Discussed Emily received threats after the comment to the Prime Minister – now she is nominated for an award
