Transgender women in sports / Azlina Mohd Hussain and Nor Syamaliah Ngah

On 17 March 2022, Lia Thomas, 22, became the first openly transgender athlete to win first place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) first division swimming championship, her final competition as a college athlete. It was one of America's top trophies in university sports when she swam to victory in the women's 500-yard (457 meter) freestyle race. This win created much furore and debate in the United States about the participation of transgender women in sports competing in the women's category. Ms Lia's participation was seen as an unfair advantage over biological sportswomen competing in the same race. To date there are no definitive guidelines and unanimous agreement among the top sports associations regarding the participation of transgender women in the women's category in sports. There have been sporadic participations in some competitions and some competitions have enforced a total ban on the participation of transgender women competing in the women's category. Be that as it may, the number of transgender women athletes have been steadily rising as they gradually gain acceptance by society and recognition by the sports associations. The acceptance and recognition would be due to the aggressive lobbying on their behalf by transgender and pressure groups on the government and sports associations, commonly citing constitutional rights as their mainstay and argument over their rights to participate in the women's category.