In a study commissioned by Sport Ireland, the quango was warned that allowing men to participate in women’s competitions could mark “the beginning of the end for female sport”. The Government-funded authority’s ‘Guidance for Transgender and Non-Binary Inclusion in Sport’ was published in 2024. While it acknowledged some of the concerns highlighted in the research, it left sporting bodies to set their own ‘eligibility’ criteria for involvement and competitions. Funding fearsNews outlets said many coaches told the consultancy firm that there would be a significant drop in the number of younger women playing sport if men were allowed to compete against them. Women participating in boxing and martial arts were, the report said, “adamant” that allowing men “to compete against females in their sports was unsafe and possibly unlawful”.
