Premier Danielle Smith’s administration in the wake of the gender controversy at the 2024 Olympics has confirmed Alberta will move forward on its female-only sports rules. In January, Smith announced a new school pronoun and parental notification policy, and included in the legislation was a section on preserving girls- and women-only sports teams — an aspect that wasn’t as widely reported. However, since Paris 2024, tensions have arisen in the area of gender and sports, when Algerian boxer Iman Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting, both of whom possess XY (male) chromosomes, won the Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing in their respective weight categories. The province of Alberta, meanwhile, is steadfast in its commitment to safety and fairness in sport.” Its new policy will go into effect this fall, though it is unclear if there will be a framework in place by the time children return to school in September. “Which is why we’re working with provincial sporting organizations (PSOs) to ensure that biological women and girls have a choice to compete in a women’s only division in athletic competitions,” wrote Minister of Tourism and Sport Joseph Schow’s press secretary Amber Edgerton in a statement, per the National Post. Transgender athletes who identify as female may “meaningfully participate” in sports through other avenues, such as co-ed divisions, said Edgerton.Edgerton did not say what the rules will be for athletes with Differences in Sexual Development (DSD), which many argue was the case with Khelif and Lin. DSD can also include people with female anatomy but elevated testosterone levels. Smith in announcing the gender policy in January, said “obvious biological realities” give biological male athletes who identify as women a “massive competitive advantage” over female athletes. “It is not beneficial (...) for women, including those who are transgender, for this divisive and sometimes dangerous situation to continue,” said Smith. Tory leader Pierre Poilievre has said multiple times biological males have no place in female sports. At the 2023 Conservative Party Convention, delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of women-only sports divisions. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government, however, blatantly supports biological men playing in women's sports as long as they "identify" as a woman. Liberal MP Carla Dawn Qualtrough in April said all Canadian sports should enforce "inclusivity" and allow trans athletes to compete against biological women. This is an "evidence-based" perspective, she said.
Premier Danielle Smith’s administration in the wake of the gender controversy at the 2024 Olympics has confirmed Alberta will move forward on its female-only sports rules. In January, Smith announced a new school pronoun and parental notification policy, and included in the legislation was a section on preserving girls- and women-only sports teams — an aspect that wasn’t as widely reported. However, since Paris 2024, tensions have arisen in the area of gender and sports, when Algerian boxer Iman Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting, both of whom possess XY (male) chromosomes, won the Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing in their respective weight categories. The province of Alberta, meanwhile, is steadfast in its commitment to safety and fairness in sport.” Its new policy will go into effect this fall, though it is unclear if there will be a framework in place by the time children return to school in September. “Which is why we’re working with provincial sporting organizations (PSOs) to ensure that biological women and girls have a choice to compete in a women’s only division in athletic competitions,” wrote Minister of Tourism and Sport Joseph Schow’s press secretary Amber Edgerton in a statement, per the National Post. Transgender athletes who identify as female may “meaningfully participate” in sports through other avenues, such as co-ed divisions, said Edgerton.Edgerton did not say what the rules will be for athletes with Differences in Sexual Development (DSD), which many argue was the case with Khelif and Lin. DSD can also include people with female anatomy but elevated testosterone levels. Smith in announcing the gender policy in January, said “obvious biological realities” give biological male athletes who identify as women a “massive competitive advantage” over female athletes. “It is not beneficial (...) for women, including those who are transgender, for this divisive and sometimes dangerous situation to continue,” said Smith. Tory leader Pierre Poilievre has said multiple times biological males have no place in female sports. At the 2023 Conservative Party Convention, delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of women-only sports divisions. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government, however, blatantly supports biological men playing in women's sports as long as they "identify" as a woman. Liberal MP Carla Dawn Qualtrough in April said all Canadian sports should enforce "inclusivity" and allow trans athletes to compete against biological women. This is an "evidence-based" perspective, she said.
