The war on women in sports continues. Better late than never, the International Powerlifting Federation has changed its policy on transgender athletes.

The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) is based in Luxembourg. It took a 40-year-old transgender lifter-born male breaking several women’s records at a meet in Canada for the change to happen. The IPF’s policy on transgender athletes now includes a requirement that male-born athletes keep their testosterone in serum below 2.4 nmol/L for at least a year before competing in the women’s category, athletes must declare before competing that they are transgender, and they must show a valid passport that identifies them as female, and they must keep their gender identity for a minimum of four years.

The change is no doubt due to Anne Andres, a transgender woman, winning a female powerlifting competition in Canada over the weekend. Andres set an all-time powerlifting record at the 2023 Western Canadian Championship. Unlike the International Chess Federation, who recently banned transgender women from competing in the female category of the competition, international powerlifting is making concessions.

Women’s sports have been scrambling to figure out how to best handle the issue of transgender athletes. Thanks to young women like Riley Gaines who were forced to compete against men in their sports and are now speaking out against it, changes in policy are underway. Last month, for example, a cycling race organizer changed its rules. Cyclists who were born female were the only ones allowed to compete in the female category. Transgender women can compete in an “open category.” That policy, in my opinion, makes the most sense. Let them compete among themselves and others in their category. Leave women’s sports alone. Men are not welcome.

Shortly after Andres’ victory, April Hutchinson, a professional powerlifter, spoke out against the sport’s transgender policy.

“My boyfriend could basically walk in tomorrow, identify as female, compete, and then the next day, go back to being a man again. No proof, no ID required, just basically going on how you feel that day or whatever gender you want to it,” Hutchinson said during an interview with TalkTV in the United Kingdom.

“It’s been very disheartening the national record that he broke…athletes have been chasing that for years,” she said. “And we’re talking we’re talking top athletes who have been training and training and training.”

Thank you, April.🙏🏼
But seriously, all of us advocates needed the athletes to speak up.
You are one brave woman! 🫡
It’s not easy to put yourself on the front line in this battle.
Generations of girls & women in #Canada will celebrate you. 🎉

— Linda Blade (@coachblade) August 22, 2023

Coach Blade is exactly right. Women athletes have to speak out for this insanity to stop. If not, there will be no women’s sports. It’s really that simple. If men are allowed to compete against women in women’s categories, then women’s sports are over. What better example than powerlifting to prove that point? Men are physically stronger than women. That is a biological fact. It’s common sense, too, something sorely lacking in today’s world.

Andres’ total score was 597.5 kilos while second-place finisher SuJan Gill mustered 387.5 kilos. Andres didn’t just win the competition, he smashed it by a substantial amount.

Maybe powerlifting isn’t a big sport in the lives of a lot of people, but kudos to the federation for realizing the brutal reality of men competing in women’s categories and making a correction. I still think there should be outright bans, not accommodations, but that’s my opinion. Women and girls have to stand up and say no more. If officials don’t listen, then they have to refuse to compete. That’s a huge sacrifice for those who have spent years training for big competitions but what other choice is there? If sports officials don’t have the nerve to do the right thing, then female athletes are going to have to insist that they do.