Trans Women Athletes May Actually Have Disadvantages Compared to Cis Women

Earlier this month, a study funded by the International Olympic Committee and reviewed by the British Journal of Sports Medicine published their recent research comparing the abilities of trans athletes and cisgender athletes, finding that trans women athletes may be at a relative disadvantage to cis women athletes.

The research is based on athletic skills, lower body power, and cardiovascular tests. The study had volunteers recruited from the United Kingdom, and each of the trans subjects had undergone hormonal therapy for over a year and participated in competitive sports or exercise training.

🚨NEW #OriginalResearch

Strength, power and aerobic capacity of transgender athletes: a cross-sectional study

👉 A comparison of laboratory measures of transgender athletes to their cisgender counterparts

👉 What can we learn from this?#OpenAccess 👉 https://t.co/h2u05XymoZ pic.twitter.com/LfkcEkL9iM

— British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) (@BJSM_BMJ) April 11, 2024

With only one study, they state that no conclusions shouldn’t be drawn due to the limitations and lack of other similar tests being conducted, but despite this, the tests do indicate a notable change between trans women and cisgender men. Research shows that trans women have equivalent bone density to cis women and lower oxygen functions in their lungs. They also found that trans women athletes performed worse than cis women athletes with certain cardiovascular tests and weaker low body strength.

The study reports higher levels of body fat in trans women than cis women or cis men, something they speculate could be due to be due to HRT. The doctors behind the research have said that long-term studies should be considered, and people should also “caution against precautionary bans and sport eligibility exclusions,” referencing bans implemented in recent years that harm trans athletes.

The main conclusion of the study shows that after medical transitions, there is a stark difference between transgender people and their assigned gender from birth. Comparing trans people to their assigned gender from birth is inequitable. This is a common argument for those who are against the inclusion of trans athletes, especially in Olympic sports. Lead researcher Professor Yannis Pitsiladis told Outsports, “The main takeaway message is the requirement of international federations (and their “experts”) to treat trans women very differently to cis men.”

With this study being out, many anti-trans activists have claimed the study to be false data, and that results were “sabotaged.”

But despite this, We might be able to push against trans bans and prove that people’s assumptions about trans bodies are wrong. Hopefully, in the future, more long-term studies can be conducted to explore this even further.