Transgender athlete Lexi Rodgers has vowed to maintain her dream of taking part in elite girls’s basketball alive regardless of Basketball Australia blocking her path this season.
An professional panel convened by BA has decided Rodgers is ineligible to play elite stage girls’s basketball, together with for the Kilsyth Cobras within the NBL1 South competitors this 12 months.
The professional panel was led by Dr Peter Harcourt (BA Chief Medical Officer, Commonwealth Games Medical Advisor), Olympic silver medallist Suzy Batkovic and Associate Professor Diana Robinson.
BA assesses eligibility of potential elite stage transgender athletes on a ‘case-by-case’ foundation, accounting for and balancing a variety of things, and has carried out this course of on behalf of Basketball Victoria on this matter.
“As the governing body, we acknowledge we’re still on a path of education and understanding,” BA mentioned in an announcement.
“To aid us in developing our framework, Lexi will provide feedback and advice from her experiences.
“The stability of inclusivity, equity and the aggressive nature of sport will at all times be a posh space to navigate, and we thank these concerned who’ve maintained integrity and respect all through the method.”
Rodgers took to Instagram to express her disappointment in the decision.
“Consistent with the views expressed by so many, I firmly imagine I’ve a spot as an athlete in girls’s basketball,” Rodgers wrote.
“I hope Basketball Australia understands that this isn’t the tip of my journey as an athlete and that it should not miss future alternatives to exhibit its values.
“I am sad about the potential message this decision sends to trans and gender diverse people everywhere.
“I hope that someday basketball’s governing physique can replicate the inclusion and acceptance I’ve discovered on the courtroom with my teammates.
“I hope to one day be playing elite women’s basketball in the future and will continue to work on making the sport I love a place for all.”
Batkovic, who’s a BA director, mentioned the subject is a “complex space that continues to evolve”.
“As we continue to develop our own framework for sub-elite and elite competitions, we understand the need to have a clear process and continual education within all layers of the sport so we can best support players, coaches, clubs, associations and the wider basketball community,” Batkovic mentioned in an announcement.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
