Game on for Women's Sports
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch joined sporting heroines on College Green to champion fair play, even as MPs rejected Tory amendments to protect women’s sport
The fight for women’s sport kicked off on College Green today, as campaigners gathered ahead of a Commons showdown over the Sporting Events Bill.
Round-the-world sailor and founder of The Maiden Factor, Tracy Edwards MBE, said:
“When Sharron (Davies) told me that Kemi had asked us to gather the women groups together, and I read the proposed Amendments by the Tories to protect women’s sports, I went into overdrive! Kemi has been committed to protecting women’s rights from day one and she has my unwavering support and admiration. I met one of my absolute Heroines today and considering I am often surrounded by women I admire more than I can say, that really is something!”
The Conservative amendments aimed to put the female category on a firmer footing. Before applying the Bill’s framework to a major sporting event, ministers would have had to be satisfied that organisers would ensure competitors in single-sex events competed against those of the same biological sex, “in the interests of fairness and safety”.
The proposals also covered accommodation, changing and washing facilities, and toilets for competitors and officials, based on biological sex. For spectators, they provided for single-sex toilets and, where necessary, changing and washing facilities. Self-contained facilities could be used by either sex, with arrangements to protect users’ privacy and dignity. The package would also have tied financial assistance under the Bill to compliance with the proposed protections.
Badenoch thanked the campaigners and vowed to keep fighting for the female category in sport. “We want to protect women’s sport, especially for young girls,” she said.
But the amendments failed to make the cut. MPs rejected New Clause 1 by 286 votes to 62, Amendment 6 by 298 to 91, and Amendment 8 by 287 to 93.
The teams on the green included The Women’s Sports Union, Women’s Rights Network, The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht, Scottish Feminist Network and Reality Runners.
Baroness Anne Jenkin and Baroness Sharron Davies were there too, alongside Shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Tugendhat, Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott, Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Trade Julia Lopez, Shadow Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Louie French, and Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Rebecca Paul.
They might have lost this match, but women in sport know how to take a setback in their stride; the fight for a level playing field goes on.