The debate around trans athletes’ participation in sports events reserved for women has been raging for weeks now, and Martina Navratilova hasn’t been shy in giving her opinions. She is against the concept of trans athletes playing in competitions solely reserved for women. So, it wasn’t a surprise that she was disappointed when she got to know that trans cricketer Anaya Bangar had been cleared to compete despite being barred from international cricket.
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Anaya, who is the daughter (after transition) of former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar, has been cleared to play at the elite level of the women’s game by Cricket Australia (CA). She can start competing in elite events like the Women’s Big Bash League from March 2027. However, Navratilova is not at all happy with this and raised questions over CA’s decision.
“Why??? Why is this ok???” she wrote on X. But a user challenged her stance on the matter and stated that Australia’s sporting institutions fully support transgender people and athletes.
“Because, Martina, Australia hasn’t been corrupted by right-wing propaganda and former sports personalities looking for a grift. Our law, policies and society overall support transgender people, and our sporting associations and codes are able to make informed decisions based on science and respect. Hope that helps clear things up,” the user replied.
However, Navratilova didn’t back down and gave a final reply to the user to end the short-lived conversation. “Sports personalities are not the problem. Try again.”
Anaya underwent gender-affirming surgery five months ago. The 25-year-old played Under-19 cricket in Mumbai years ago. But the chances of her returning to the competitive level felt very slim when the International Cricket Council (ICC) banned trans cricketers from women’s international cricket in 2023.
But she will now be available to play franchise cricket leagues in Australia. This includes the Women’s Big Bash League, which is one of the biggest franchise leagues currently in women’s cricket. She can also get many other opportunities to play cricket competitively in Australia.
Navratilova, who has been pretty vocal in this whole debate, can soon give more of her burning opinions on Bangar’s clearance. She has already gone to great lengths to defend her point of view and justify why trans athletes participating in competitions for women is not okay.
She even recently criticized a former trans collegiate athlete who had hopes of playing in the WNBA. The athlete in question here is Kayla Ward, who expressed her desire to create a new policy for trans athletes in the WNBA so that they can also compete.
“I know that it’s doubtful I’ll make it onto a WNBA team but if I can help create the policy that allows other trans athletes the freedom to pursue their dreams, then I consider that a success and is the biggest reason I want to try out for a team,” Ward made this statement, according to HeCheated.org.
But Navratilova was quick to call Ward out, and she even went on to call her a “cheater”. “Another cheater. This is not some political issue. This is not some outsider issue,” she wrote on X.
It is unlikely that Navratilova’s opinion on the debate is going to change anytime soon, and she is likely to continue giving her blazing opinions.