Since the 2024 Olympic games produced overreaction to certain women competitors believed to not be eligible, there has been much discussion about this. I have stated the question is how to define eligibility for women's events and since I don't have a degree in genetics, I need to trust those who do.
However, I have found a solution that multiple people have proposed to be completely absurd and that is to eliminate women's events claiming they can compete equally with men. There are events where gender doesn't affect performance but I am referring to the majority that do.
In one discussion, I provided data proving that at the elite level in many events, the difference is so significant that female competitors at their best would have zero chance against equal male ones. Unfortunately similar to showing data to a member of the GOP about the potential damage the current administration is proposing, it was ignored.
It doesn't matter that the idea of women's events was initially created to protect male ego in archery (which is one of the few sports where gender doesn't affect elite performance), today, there is a difference at the elite level. That is similar to claiming that since Democrats were pro slavery over 160 years ago, that they are the bad guys today.
Why do I use the phrase "elite level"? That shows the ultimate ability of an athlete.
Does that mean every man will defeat every woman? No. My 52 year old sister who has completed an Ironman triathlon would easily beat me in a 5k run. However, in disc golf which I have played over 20 years, my 60 year old self who finished last in the finals on last year's world championship would be expected to play equal to a local female pro in her late 50s who has won 2 professional world titles and 2 US titles in an age protected female pro division and is in the top 20 of all time event wins.
Most of the events at the winter Olympics don't compare to men and women. Any event which has a judge provide a score based on their opinion can't be compared but people who pay attention would notice male competitors will complete more spins than female ones.
Alpine skiing can't compare since women will be on a different course. In sliding events, women often start lower on the course. In ski jumping, it is designed for competitors to land on a specific part of the hill and the start position can be adjusted to do so. Hockey? No. Curling, maybe.
There are also events where the goal is to finish first. Pace can affect that.
The only two events that could be compared are Nordic skiing and long track speed skating. Realize there are two styles of Nordic skiing so make sure you look at specific distances before comparing times. I also noticed that for qualifying in a snowboarding event, the best female time out of 32 players would have finished 31st in the men's division on the same course done back to back.
Long track speed skating is the most obvious one. There is a significant difference between men's and women's world records.
