Fan taken to hospital after falling from stand during Belgium-Wales soccer match
BRUSSELS (AP) — A soccer fan who fell from the upper tier of King Baudouin Stadium during a World Cup qualifier between Belgium and Wales was taken to the hospital for checks on his injuries.
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The Football Association of Wales said the unnamed man 'was conscious and speaking' after the incident, which reportedly took place during the second half of Monday's game in Brussels.
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The man 'fell from the upper to lower tier,' the FAW said in a statement after the match, which Belgium won 4-3.
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CBC
8 hours ago
- CBC
Trans athlete pioneer's new book refutes 'moral panic' over inclusion in women's sports
Social Sharing In the past couple of years, we've seen the incredible growth of women's sport. New leagues, expansion teams and a lot more media coverage. Growth is exciting, necessary and long overdue. But something that is less wonderful are the movements that claim to "protect" or "save" women's sport, alleging that trans women athletes are ruining the sanctity of women's sport. There have been recently enacted federal policies in the U.S., as well as organizations that seek to amplify the "injustices" against cis-gendered women in sports. A lot of these policies and campaigns seek to prohibit children from sports. On May 1, the Football Association in the U.K. banned trans women from playing amateur or professional football. According to the BBC, there are fewer than 30 trans women among millions of registered players, and currently no trans women playing professional football. Zero. It's completely nonsensical that there are policies being made against professional athletes in spaces where there are no trans athletes at all. Just a few days ago, Riley Gaines, a former U.S. collegiate swimmer (who once tied for fifth place with trans swimmer Lia Thomas ) was embroiled in an online battle with one of the most storied athletes of all time, U.S. multi-gold medallist gymnast Simone Biles. Biles was defending the inclusion of all women while Gaines is famously anti-trans. Former hockey player Harrison Browne talks new book on gender rights in sport 9 minutes ago Duration 21:03 CBC Sports senior contributor Shireen Ahmed is joined by Browne and his sister, investigative journalist Rachel Browne, to chat about their new book Let Us Play: Winning the Battle for Gender Diverse Athletes. "Straight up sore loser" is one of the comments Biles hurled at Gaines in a heated exchange on X. Kudos to Biles for taking a stand on what's become one of the defining issues of injustice in sport of our time. Two months ago, John Oliver had a hilarious bit on his comedy show about the far right (and others) weaponizing women's sport for their political agenda. The hysteria and moral panic about trans women in sport is not new, but seems at a boiling point. In response, the wider trans community is working hard to educate people and create safe spaces for their community. Harrison Browne, from Oakville, Ont., was the first trans athlete to play professional hockey. "Brownie" as he is known to teammates and fans, played in the NCAA and the now-shuttered Professional Hockey Federation with the Buffalo Beauts. Browne and his award-winning investigative journalist and producer sister, Rachel, co-wrote a book called Let Us Play: Winning the Battle for Gender Diverse Athletes. 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None of them won medals. We did, however, see a disgusting smear campaign launched at boxing gold medallist Imane Khelif of Algeria and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting. Neither of those women identify as trans, they are just racialized women who don't fit a particular mold and were attacked for their success. The entire debacle was infuriating to witness. It exposed bad faith actors as not actually caring about preserving the integrity of women's sport but just attacking those who appear too masculine. The reality is that the numbers of trans participants are so low they don't affect the outcome of the landscape of women's sports. In Canada, U Sport does not ask the gender of an athlete that registers on their portal to play. They simply ask the individuals to register for the category and sport. A representative of U Sport said their policy allows participation in assigned birth or the gender that the athlete identifies with as long as they comply with Canadian Anti-Doping Program regulations. It's not that complicated. Meanwhile in Alberta, Danielle's Smith Conservative government announced a few days ago that birth certificates will be used as documentation to support the province's ban on trans athletes. It may also unfairly affect athletes who are not trans but have differences in sex development (DSD). Transgender women will be "harmed immensely" by the policy, along with female athletes who are not trans, Florence Ashley, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta, told CBC News. Instead of fairness in athletics, Ashley said, the ban will foster discrimination, harassment, fear and false challenges. "Even if that's not the intent, that will be the effect," she said. Both professional women's leagues in Canada (Northern Super League and Professional Women's Hockey League) celebrate Pride and have numerous athletes who identify as gay. Neither league has a policy on trans athletes, nor do they ask the players how they identify. 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"Given the minuscule number of trans athletes, the swath of legislative efforts and hateful campaigns targeting youth and high school students is absurd," they write. Integrity in sports comes from protecting the entire ecosystem. Selective inclusion is not inclusion at all, and parroting nonsensical talking points from people who have rarely shown an interest in women's sport seems too convenient at this time. Sports need all women to thrive and play in safety and leagues, and communities must educate themselves and support. Fairness and respect are supposed to go hand in hand. I hope those things aren't compromised to gain favour with people who firmly perch on the wrong side of history.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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National Post
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