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Why 'Meaningful Competition' is not fair competition.

Why 'Meaningful Competition' is not fair competition.

Authors :
Pike, Jon
Source :
Journal of the Philosophy of Sport. Mar2023, Vol. 50 Issue 1, p1-17. 17p.
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

In this paper I discuss a new conception that has arrived relatively recently on the scene, in the context of the debate over the inclusion of transwomen (hereafter TW) in female sport. That conception is 'Meaningful Competition' (hereafter MC) – a term used by some of those who advocate for the inclusion of TW in female sport if and only if they reduce their testosterone levels. I will argue that MC is not fair. I understand MC as a substitute concept, as an attempt to substitute for the perfectly serviceable concept of fair competition. It is an attempt at conceptual engineering that should be resisted. This is important because some International Federations have accepted MC as good coin, and the underlying theory of MC, which I explicate for the first time, underpins the stance taken by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in its Framework Document. To establish that the inclusion of TW in female sport meets the criteria of MC in the sense I explicate here, does not show that the inclusion of TW in female sport is fair. Such inclusion is not fair, and the proper currency of sport is fair competition. 'Meaningful Competition', on the other hand, is a snare and a delusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjects

Subjects :
*TRANSGENDER athletes
*TRANS women

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00948705
Volume :
50
Issue :
1
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Journal of the Philosophy of Sport
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
162237418
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2023.2167720