World’s Strongest Woman Title Revoked Amid Biological Sex Dispute
The winner of the recent World’s Strongest Woman competition has been stripped of her title after organizers discovered the athlete was “biologically male,” according too a statement released by Official Strongman. The athlete, whose name has not been officially released by Official Strongman but is identified as a competitor named Booker, competed and initially won in the Women’s Open category.
Official Strongman stated they were unaware of this information prior to the competition and launched an urgent investigation upon learning of it. Attempts to contact Booker for comment have been unsuccessful.
“had we been aware, or had this been declared at any point before or during the competition, this athlete would not have been permitted to compete in the Women’s Open category,” the organization said.
Official Strongman maintains an inclusive policy but enforces rules requiring athletes to “compete in the category for the biological sex recorded at birth.” The organization stated, “Official Strongman is inclusive and proud to run events which do not discriminate against athletes based on personal characteristics…Any athlete is welcome. But it is our obligation to ensure fairness and ensure athletes are assigned to men or women’s categories based on whether they are recorded as male or female at birth.”
The athlete who initially placed third, Australian competitor Cowley, acknowledged the situation on social media, posting a photo with her trophy and asking followers to “pretend it’s silver.” She also celebrated the performance of Australian strongwomen, noting that the top three Australian finishers all placed within the global Top 10.
The newly crowned world champion, British athlete Thompson, described the aftermath of the competition as “the most exhausting experience of my career,” adding that competitors had been subjected to online harassment and insults.
As of publication, Booker has not responded to the allegations.