{"id":529955,"date":"2023-06-22T07:53:35","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T14:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=529955"},"modified":"2023-06-22T07:53:35","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T14:53:35","slug":"new-book-unfair-play-the-battle-for-womens-sport-is-released","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/new-book-unfair-play-the-battle-for-womens-sport-is-released\/","title":{"rendered":"New Book ‘Unfair Play: The Battle For Women’s Sport’ is Released"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Book ‘Unfair Play: The Battle For Women’s Sport’ is Released<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis book is dedicated to my family, who\u2019ve had to put up with my crusade for justice these last few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also for the wonderful men and women who have taken on the abuse and fought alongside me for fair play, safety and the right for females to have equal opportunities in sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cSport is something I am forever grateful for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has shaped my life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So reads Sharron Davies<\/strong>\u2019 dedication in \u2018Unfair Play: The Battle For Women\u2019s Sport,\u2019<\/strong> which was co-written with Craig Lord<\/strong>, a luminary in the swimming world and award-winning journalist.<\/p>\n

A press release states:<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the face of it, women\u2019s sport is on the rise, garnering more attention and grassroots involvement than ever before.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, in \u2018Unfair Play: The Battle For Women\u2019s Sport,\u2019 British Olympian Sharron Davies and sports journalist Craig Lord show that in many areas progress is stalling or even falling back.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Davies was the victim of the East German state-sponsored doping programme, finishing second in the 400IM at the 1980 Olympics.<\/p>\n

\"Unfair

Photo Courtesy:<\/p><\/div>\n

More than 10 seconds ahead of her that day in Moscow was Petra Schneider<\/strong> who subsequently admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.<\/p>\n

More than 42 years have elapsed since then but the Briton has never received justice.<\/p>\n

So, too, Shirley Babashoff, <\/strong>who on countless occasions was beaten to the gold medal at Olympics and World Championships by the likes of Kornelia Ender<\/strong> and Petra Thumer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When the American spoke out about her suspicions, she was accused of being a sore loser and nicknamed \u201cSurly Shirley.\u201d<\/p>\n

After communism fell in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Babashoff\u2019s suspicions were confirmed, but by then the damage was done.<\/p>\n

And no one in authority had listened to the grievances of the women who were so affected, the ramifications of which went far beyond those meets in which what should have been gold was silver and bronze and in some cases, no medal at all.<\/p>\n

For some time now, Davies has been fighting another battle \u2013 this time against the inclusion of transgender women in women\u2019s sporting categories.<\/p>\n

Lia Thomas<\/strong> is the most high-profile transgender athlete in swimming with World Aquatics<\/strong> \u2013 then FINA<\/strong> \u2013 ruling last year<\/a> that transgender athletes cannot compete in the women\u2019s category if they have been through any part of male puberty. Thomas formerly competed as a member of the University of Pennsylvania men’s team, but later won an NCAA title while racing as a member of the Penn women’s program.<\/p>\n

Davies has found herself vilified and more while losing lucrative work and contracts.<\/p>\n

Nancy Hogshead-Makar<\/strong> describes Davies as someone who has led the way in the fight to keep women\u2019s sport for biological women.<\/p>\n

The three-time Olympic champion said:<\/p>\n

\u201cSharron Davies was way out ahead of the sports world, warning everyone of an impending crisis to girls\u2019 and women\u2019s sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe and I know the bitter taste of unfairness: we both competed against doped-up East German swimmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistory is repeating itself, this time by men who identify as women.<\/p>\n

\u201cSharron and Craig tackle this story with precision and fairness.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The book \u2013 which is almost 300 pages long \u2013 stretches back to the days when the founding father of the Olympic Games told women their only role in sport was that of \u201ccrowning the winner with garlands.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also charts:<\/p>\n