Martina Navratilova applauds transgender golfer Nicole Powers' decision to stop competing in women's sports after realizing 'biological realities'

Martina Navratilova appreciated transgender athlete Nicole Powers' decision to refrain from competing in women's sports after she realized the "biological realities". Powers also admitted that they would not give their 100% while competing against women so as not to raise any alarms.

In an interview with Outkick, Powers, a transgender athlete who has competed in sports like tennis, skiing, and golf in the women's category, announced that she would not do so again because of certain realizations.

"I had to take a step back and realize that biological realities are real and competitive advantages will always exist despite the number of years or whatever surgeries and hormones you've done, and then understood that my place is not in women's sports," Powers said in an interview with Outkick.

American tennis icon Martina Navratilova, a vocal critic of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, reshared a Daily Mail report on Powers' decision on X, expressing her support.

Powers revealed that coaches and fellow competitors insisted that they belonged in women's sports and urged them to reconsider. Despite Powers' own reservations, they felt pressure from others to continue participating in women's competitions.

Moreover, Powers also admitted that they often held back in competitions, feeling they had an unfair advantage over biological females. They deliberately underperformed by not playing to their full potential.

"In the back of my head this entire couple years, I was playing in professional tournaments, I knew I wouldn't feel right if I did take awards [from women]," Powers added.

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Martina Navratilova cites biological differences to protest the inclusion of trans athletes in female sports

Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon 2024 (Image: Getty)

During her appearance on the podcast 'The Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt,' Martina Navratilova continued her protest against the inclusion of transgenders in female sports.

"Identity is one thing, but identity does not apply to sports. Sex category applies to sports. Male bodies are different from female bodies," she said.

Despite her long-standing support for civil rights, Navratilova believes sports must maintain clear categories to ensure fairness.

"But when it comes to sports, we have categories, we have rules for a reason. And male bodies, again, are different. And there's no way to take away the advantage that a male has, no matter how they identify," she added.

Martina Navratilova supports the full acceptance of transgender individuals in everyday life but believes there should be a clear boundary when it comes to female-only spaces, including sports.