Judy Murray has expressed concern about the integration of transgender women in sport.
The tennis coach – mum of Wimbledon champions Andy and Jamie – said female-born athletes could find it “off-putting” if they regularly compete against transgender competitors with “clear physical advantages”.
She said the issue was “incredibly complex”.
And she called on sports’ governing bodies to ensure they “get that right” as they attempt to create fair rules on the issue.
Judy, 62, told Radio Times magazine: “It could be really off-putting to female athletes to feel you could train for years to get to whatever level and then be knocked out or beaten by someone born with a physical strength advantage.
“I don’t know enough about it and it’s incredibly complex but it’s important there’s a lot of research into creating a fair solution. Where there are clear physical advantages, (for) governing bodies involved in creating the rules about the point at which there is too much of a disadvantage, it’s really important they get that right.”
Two years ago, tennis star Martina Navratilova sparked a fierce debate on transgender women in sport after claiming they are “cheating” unless they undergo irreversible surgery to change their anatomy.
She later apologised for her use of the word “cheating” and vowed to help find a solution to what she termed “the transgender problem”.
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