The Basketball Federation of Australia has announced this Tuesday that it has rejected the request of the transgender athlete Lexi Rodgers to register in the NBL1, a women’s semi-professional league in which the team that requests its registration, the Kilsyth Cobras, is active.
“A commission of experts convened by Basketball Australia has determined that Rodgers can obtain a women’s federation file,” said this body in a statement released by the Efe agency. The federation assures that it evaluates the applications of transgender players “on a case by case” and points out that it took into account various factors to make its decision, such as fairness and the competitive nature of the sport.
“While this particular application was not approved according to the criteria of elite competition, Basketball Australia encourages and promotes inclusion at the community level taking into account a balance between inclusion, equity and the competitive nature of the sport,” the note states. .
After learning of this opinion, both the club and the player have expressed their discomfort. “Lexi is logically disappointed with the decision,” says Suzy Batkovic, director of Basketball Australia and member of the commission that studied the case, and thanked the athlete “for her cooperation, understanding and patience throughout this process.”
The player, for her part, has thanked on Instagram the “overwhelming” support and backing of followers, club, players and coaches.
“Basketball is one of the great loves of my life. On the basketball court is where I feel safe, free and where I feel like I belong. As an athlete, this passion motivates me to play to the best of my ability against the toughest competitors in the highest levels (…) I firmly believe that I have a place as an athlete in women’s basketball,” Lexi stressed.
The player points out that “she is saddened” by the rejection and the potential message it sends to other trans athletes, and asks the federation not to miss “future opportunities to demonstrate its values” of inclusion and acceptance.
“This is not the end of my journey as athletes. I hope one day to play elite women’s basketball and I will continue working to make the sport that I love a place for everyone,” he says.
The federation, for its part, points out that it is working to create a framework for these cases, where it will take into account Lexi’s comments and advice “based on her experiences.”
“As we continue to develop our own framework for elite and sub-elite competitions, we understand the need to have a clear process and ongoing education within all layers of the sport so that we can better support players, coaches, clubs, associations and the public,” says Batkovic.
