The fencing opponents seemed almost identical, fully equipped for protective equipment. Stephanie Turner, however, felt that the athlete was different in one significant way.
Also read: Viral video: Fake Acrats Scars Turnial Sparks Online Will, Netizens says: “KIS PART BHAROSA KARE AB?” | Watch
As CNN states, after the usual gesture of touch foils, the match closed in seconds without attempting a lunge when Turner knelt and removed the mask.
Turner (31) decided to compete for a female event against an opponent claiming to be a transgender, a decision that provoked renewed discussions in the ongoing legal, political and cultural debate on the participation of trans athletes in women’s sports.
“I told them I was rejecting the fence, because this person is a man and I am a woman, and this is a female tournament and I refuse to fence the principle,” Turner Fox News said.
“I knew what I had to do because the US fencing did not listen to women’s objections,” Fox News later remembered.
According to the US fencing rules, Trans women must undergo treatment treatment with testosterone-standing part of the sex confirmation-POE at least 12 months before participation in female competitions. The non -profit organization responsible for the qualifications of American swordsmen at the Olympics confirmed that Turner’s opponent had fulfilled the requirements for the tournament.
Turner said Fox News that she deliberately avoided tournaments where she believed that Transgender would compete athlete, but in this case she registered in front of her opponent.
After Turner took his knee, her opponent approached her, obviously worried that she could be injured, according to Turner and the video of the event. They both exchanged a few words while the judge stepped out of the frame. Although their conversation is not clearly audible in the video, Turner said that her opponent told her that she had the right to compete.
US Fencing said its transgender policy is based on the principle that everyone should have an opportunity to participate.
“The US fencing is always wrong on the side of integration, and we are determined to change the policy of more relevant evidence -based research, or because policy changes are made in the wider Olympic and Paralympic movement,” the organization said.
(Tagstotranslate) Fanted Turner
