The Boise State women’s volleyball team have withdrawn from the Mountain West Conference tournament, alleging that their opponent, San Jose State University (SJSU), had a transgender athlete on their roster. The championship finals started on Wednesday (Nov 27) in Las Vegas as Boise State qualified for the semis after beating Utah State in the quarter-finals. However, the team refused to play against SJSU after a court ruling allowed Blaire Fleming, the transgender athlete in question, to compete in the tournament.

“The decision to not continue to play in the 2024 Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament was not an easy one,” Boise State said in a statement.

“Our team overcame forfeitures to earn a spot in the tournament field and fought for the win over Utah State in the first round on Wednesday. They should not have to forgo this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes,” it added.

Notably, it is not the first time when Boise State have forfeited their matches against SJSU. During the regular season, the team refused to play them on two occasions as other Mountain West teams such as Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada followed suit.

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SJSU advance

Boise State’s refusal to play means that SJSU have moved unopposed to the tournament final, scheduled to take place on Saturday where the winner of top-seeded Colorado State and No. 5 San Diego State will potentially square off against them.

Reacting to Boise State’s stance, SJSU released a statement saying they were ‘disappointed’ with the decision but added that their team was preparing for the championship final.

“In this time of Thanksgiving, we are especially thankful for those who continue to engage in civil and respectful discourse. We celebrate and support all of our students, including our student-athletes as they compete for our community on this holiday weekend,” SJSU told CNN.

Earlier this week, US District Judge S Kato Crews delivered a judgment allowing Ms Fleming to play in the tournament after several opposing players as well as Fleming’s teammates filed a lawsuit against the team and the tournament organisers for allowing the transgender athlete to play in the women’s tournament.

The plaintiffs claimed that university and conference officials violated their Title IX rights, which ensures that men and women are treated fairly in educational settings, including collegiate sports.

The 2024 Paris Olympics’ gender parity milestone was tainted by gender-related disputes, with a recent United Nations report voicing concerns about issues related to women’s sports competition.

According to the report, “Violence Against Women and Girls in Sports,” transgender athletes have won around 900 medals in different women’s sports at several events, replacing female athletes. 

It also brought attention to the fact that more than 600 female athletes had lost against individuals born male in a variety of competitions, escalating the argument about competition fairness.

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These findings spotlight significant gaps in the IOC’s policies, which continue to affect athletes globally, raising questions about the future of gender inclusivity in sports.

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“Policies implemented by International Federations, national governing bodies, along with national legislation of some countries, allow males who identify as women to compete in female sports categories,” the report said.

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“In other cases, this practice is not explicitly prohibited and is thus tolerated in practice. The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities including medals when competing against males.”

“According to information received, by 30 March 2024, over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports,” the report said.