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Russian lawmaker says transgender athletes must not participate in int’l sports events

According to Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev, separate tournaments for such athletes should be organized

MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. World sports organizations must put an end to clearing transgender athletes participating in international sports tournaments, a senior Russian lawmaker told TASS on Thursday.

On August 17, the world’s top chess federation, FIDE, announced a decision that transgender women must not compete at its official events playing for females.

"This is an absolutely correct decision on behalf of the International Chess Federation," Chairman of the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev said. "The rest of the international sports organizations should follow this move."

"There are no reasons at all for transgender people to compete among other athletes based on common grounds," Svishchev continued. "Besides a possible [physical] advantage there is a number of moral and ethical aspects, which may become unbearable for an ordinary athlete."

"On top of all, we hear news about transgender athletes’ participation in general sports tournaments, although they did not even care to completely get done with their trans-gender surgeries," Svishchev added.

"It is unacceptable and I recommend all international federations against allowing transgender athletes competing on par with others. Separate tournaments for such athletes must be organized," the Russian lawmaker added.

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