Transgender Competitor Was Extremely Deceptive, States Globe's Strongest Female

A British competitor honored as the planet's most powerful female claims she was deprived of her winning moment after it emerged the original champion was a transgender woman who was not qualified to compete.

The British strongwoman was granted the title after the fact after US competitor the disqualified contestant was disqualified.

The champion told sports media the event, held in Arlington, Texas, was clouded by an individual who shouldn't have been there.

"I felt extremely disappointed and angry with what she's done," she stated. "She lied and was very dishonest, and took away a lot of opportunities from a lot of female athletes.

"The lady that came 11th didn't get the opportunity to do the third day... to have the top 10 status in the world."

Event coordinators, the strongman organization, said "participants could only compete in the division for their biological sex recorded at birth", and that they had disqualified the competitor in dispute "who is biologically male."

Competition Details

Records indicate Booker took part in at least two other strongwoman competitions this year - taking first place at the Washington competition in summer and finishing second at North America's Strongest Woman in mid-summer.

Sports media could not reach Booker and event officials confirmed "efforts had been made to get in touch with the competitor... but a reply had not been obtained."

Thompson, forty-three, ultimately was declared the global female strength champion for the second time, having previously claimed the title in two thousand eighteen.

But it was only following this year's event finished that she discovered her rival had been ineligible to participate.

"There was no indication at all during the event - no-one had any reason to question any issues," said the parent from Suffolk.

"It was about several hours after that the initial speculation started circulating, and then the officials notified me.

"It represents a significant accomplishment that's been overshadowed by some deception."

Competition Particulars

Power competitions have no unified governing body, instead, independent groups run a variety of competitions.

The World's Strongest Woman title is presented at the International Strength Competition, run by a British company.

More than four hundred athletes from approximately forty nations took part in this season's competition, which coordinators characterize as "among the pinnacles of the power sports community."

The Competition included events across multiple sex, body mass and years categories.

The British athlete and Booker were in the Women's Open division and participated in half-dozen disciplines over multiple days, including the log press, frame carrying and deadlift ladder.

Regulations and Eligibility

An announcement from the organization said: "Competitors are placed to male or women's categories based on whether they are recorded as male or female at birth.

"It appears that an competitor who is male by birth and who now identifies as a woman competed in the Women's Open division... officials were unaware of this situation ahead of the competition."

In 2023, Texas introduced a regulation banning "males by birth from competing against women competitors", although this is limited to college and university sport in the region.

Thompson thinks strongwoman events may introduce sex screening in the coming years.

"I guess it's going to have to go down that path... but our discipline is still quite new. There's insufficient funding in it to have these procedures in operation. We depend on the honesty of the athletes."

Wider Athletic Context

In recent years, a growing number of sports federations have prohibited competitors who have experienced male puberty from competing in top-level women's events, amid concerns over fairness and protection, including international swimming and track and field organizations.

In spring, major UK sports bodies were among a group of institutions to follow suit, after the UK Supreme Court's ruling that the official classification of a female is based on birth sex.

The decisions have been challenged by transgender advocacy campaigners, who contend they could violate individual freedoms and insist participation should be emphasized.

Both global track and field and boxing organizations introduced genetic sex screening this season, claiming it is needed to protect the integrity of female sports.

An official from the global track organization has claimed that between fifty to sixty competitors who experienced male puberty have been top placers in the female category in international and regional athletics competitions since 2000.