USA Fencing said Thursday that the decision to disqualify a fencing of a recent event in Maryland after she refused to compete against a transgender opponent was in line with the rules established by the governing body of the sport.
The incident occurred on March 30 during a regional tournament sanctioned by the Fencing of the United States. That was not an event of the National Athletics Athletic Association (NCAA).
In the tournament, Stephanie Turner discarded her mask and knelt in protest in front of her fight against the transgender opponent Redmond Sullivan and then a black card was issued by the referee, which resulted in her expulsion from the event.
USA Fencing said that his responsibility is to make sure that all athletes, regardless of their personal positions, compete under the same rules established by the International Estrelation Federation (FIE), the governing body of the sport.
“In the case of Stephanie Turner, its disqualification, which applies only to this tournament, was not related to any personal statement, but was simply the direct result of its decision to decline an eligible opponent, which the Fie godes clearly prohibit,” said USA Fencing in a statement.
“The Fencing of the United States is obliged to follow the letter of these rules and ensure that participants respect the standards established internationally.”
Turner, speaking with Fox News Digital, said he made the decision to shoot the night before when he realized that he would compete.
“Redmond had the impression that I was going to start setting you. So when I surrounded myself, I looked at the referee and said: ‘I’m sorry, I can’t do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women’s tournament. And I will not go to this individual.'” Turner told Fox News, evil Sullivan.
The incident won steam on social networks on Wednesday with the path of tennis rights and homosexuals Martina Navratilova, who has argued that trans women have unfair physical advantages, among which they have to weigh.
“This is what happens when female athletes protest! Anyone still thinks that this is fair? I am furious … and shame in @usafencing, shame for doing this. How dare you throw women under the gender shit bus!” Navratilova said in X.
Use Fencing promulgated its current transgender and non -binary athlete policy in 2023, which is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based on the available research of the day.
“We understand that conversation about equity and inclusion related to transgender participation in sport is evolving,” said USA Fencing.
“The Fencing of the United States will always be wrong on the side of inclusion, and we are committed to amending the policy as a more relevant investigation arises based on evidence, or as the changes in the policy supply in the broader Olympic and Paralympic movement.”
