Latest news with #Aranui
Sky News AU
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Sky News AU
Two Sky News hosts say banning of two transgender players from community netball league 'common sense' move
Two Sky News hosts have welcomed the banning of two transgender competitors from playing women's netball in Victoria, describing it as "common sense". The Riddell District Netball League made the decision to ban two transgender players due their "superior stamina and physique", the Herald Sun revealed, amid Netball Victoria's investigation over whether they posed a safety risk to women players. An independent expert was brought in by Netball Victoria to review possible on-court safety risks after a club in Melbourne's outer north flagged concerns about the size and strength of the two transgender players who represent Melton Central. The investigation was sparked after Melton South players threatened to boycott matches against Melton Central due to their safety concerns about playing the team. Danica Di Giorgio said "common sense has finally prevailed". "Why you even need an investigation is beyond me," she told viewers on Thursday. The Sky News host added it is "great" the transgender players had been banned, but she believes "it should have been obvious in the first place". One of the two banned competitors, Manawa Aranui, had been rejected by a netball league in Ballarat when she tried to join a women's team in April. Ms Aranui had previously played in elite men's netball, the Herald Sun reported. She hit out on social media on Wednesday, saying she had been "dragged publicly... into a conversation where both my character and identity have been attacked". Ms Aranui went on to say "these bigots don't deserve my time". Di Giorgio argued people should not be labelled as "bigot" if they had the opinion that "a man should not be competing in a woman's league". Sall Grover, the founder of female-only social media app Giggle, agreed, claiming the issue had "advanced" because people are "too scared to talk about" it. "The only way it was able to sort of infiltrate society like it has was shutting down anybody who questioned it and so it's been years, for some women over a decade, of desperately trying to speak out and be heard and saying they're men," she said. "Our bodies play sports and sport is divided by sex and sometimes age and sometimes weight, depending on what the sport is. All he has to do is play in his sex class like literally everybody else. But yeah, instead we all get called bigots for stating the truth. "I think the time is up on that now. I think that the train's definitely left the station. Every day people are starting to go, 'hang on, what's going on cause they went too far?'" Fellow Sky News host Peta Credlin also labelled it a "win for common sense". She argued a video circulating of Ms Aranui knocking over a female competitor should not have to make the news before governing bodies take action. Broadcaster and Save Womens' Sport advocate Lucy Zelic said it was the "unfortunate reality" as sporting bodies had shown "immense cowardice to this particular issue". "The point that we need to talk about is the integrity of the sport, the safety of the sports," she told Credlin. Ms Zelic suggested more politicians should speak up on the issue, pointing to Senator Claire Chandler who has spoken publicly about protecting women's sport. The Riddell and Ballarat leagues had highlighted Section 42 of the Sex Discrimination Act as the reason why the players were barred, as it says sporting bodies can rule transgender competitors ineligible to participate due to strength and physique. Ms Aranui had also claimed she was the one to be recruited. 'This won't be a long novel — because frankly, these bigots don't deserve my time or energy... Melton South Football Netball Club and your Netball Coordinator/players: you're entitled to your opinions, but let's clear some things up," she wrote on Facebook. 'Your head coach tried to recruit me to play for your club. Yes — YOUR HEAD COACH TRIED TO RECRUIT ME.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Two transgender netball players banned after opponent sent crashing to ground
Two transgender netball players have been banned from competing in Australia after a video showed one of them knocking an opponent to the ground. Rival teams threatened a boycott over footage of Melton Central player Manawa Aranui sending a member of the Romsey team crashing to the court. There was no foul and Aranui, who played elite men's netball before transition, is seen offering to help the opponent to her feet. However, following a host of complaints, Victoria's Riddell District Football Netball League (RDFNL) announced the two trans Melton Central team-mates were now excluded from competition. Credit: Snapchat/Social media Melton South Netball Club had threatened to boycott matches against Melton Central due to safety concerns. The RDFNL acknowledges the pair 'exhibit superior stamina and physique' in a statement explaining the ban. 'After lengthy consideration and consultation, the RDFNL has ruled that the two transgender participants be excluded from the RDFNL netball competitions for the remainder of the 2025 season on the premise that both participants exhibit superior stamina and physique over their competitors, deeming Section 42 of the Sex Discrimination Act relevant,' a statement said. Netball Victoria has also confirmed it is investigating the issue by engaging an independent expert to assess concerns. The Daily Mail reports Aranui had already faced bans from other governing bodies after transitioning. In April, the Ballarat Football Netball League deemed Aranui ineligible for their women's competition after obtaining legal advice citing the Sex Discrimination Act. Yet Aranui continued to play for Melton Central, for whom she was recently named best on court in a Division 1 grand final. Melton South's netball coordinator Melissa Dawson subsequently told News Corp reporters in Australia that she would support her players if they chose to forfeit games over safety concerns. 'One of the players is six foot something – it's ridiculous,' she said. 'Netball Victoria needs to put the safety of biological females first.' In response, a furious Aranui said on Facebook: 'I've sat quietly long enough while this narrative brewed and I've been dragged – publicly and without consent – into a conversation where both my character and identity have been attacked. Now, it's exploded across social media and news outlets. 'I'm not usually one to let outside noise affect me, but when 'opinions' and 'statements' are being twisted and presented as facts, I no longer feel it's my place to stay silent. 'This won't be a long novel – because frankly, these bigots don't deserve my time or energy. But since things have gotten nasty, let's set the record straight. 'Melton South Football Netball Club and your Netball Coordinator/players: you're entitled to your opinions, but let's clear some things up. 'Your head coach tried to recruit me to play for your club. Yes – YOUR HEAD COACH TRIED TO RECRUIT ME. The same club now publicly speaking out against me, bashing me, and attacking the trans/non-binary community in the media, is the very club whose head coach approached me to join you. (Read that again. Let it sink in.) #Hypocrites.' Netball Victoria allows non-binary and transgender players to register and play in female competitions based on self-identified gender, not legal sex. That contrasts with protections for women's sport in the UK. England Netball was among organisations to immediately ban all transgender women from competing in the female category in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that the word 'woman' applies to biological females. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Scottish Sun
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Moment trans netball player flattens opponent before being banned from league as rival teams threaten to boycott matches
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the moment a transgender netball player sent a rival crashing to the court - just days before being banned from competing as teams threatened to boycott matches. Footage shows Manawa Aranui, a former elite men's player, crashing into an opponent during a hard but legal play in Australia. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The moment Manawa Aranui crashed into an opponent during a netball game 4 Aranui immediately offers a hand to help her up 4 The athlete used to be an elite men's netball player 4 Aranui has since been banned from the league after rival teams threatened to boycott all games over safety fears Credit: Instagram/westernfnl The rival Romsey player hits the deck as Aranui — towering over her — immediately offers a hand to help her up. The clash on Sunday's match has since sparked outrage across the Victorian netball community with. On Wednesday, the Riddell District Netball Football League (RDFNL) announced that Aranui and another transgender player from Melton Central have now been banned for the rest of the 2025 season. The bombshell move came after Melton South Netball Club threatened to boycott all games involving the pair over safety fears. The league said: 'After lengthy consideration and consultation, the RDFNL has ruled that the two transgender participants be excluded from the RDFNL Netball Competitions for the remainder of the 2025 season on the premise that both participants exhibit superior stamina and physique over their competitors deeming Section 42 of the Sex Discrimination Act relevant.' That section of the law allows sporting bodies to exclude players if "strength, stamina, or physique" could create an unfair advantage or risk. Aranui — who previously starred in men's netball — has become a lightning rod in Australia's growing trans-in-sport debate. She was named best on ground in a Division 1 grand final for Melton Central, fuelling calls for a ban. Melton South netball coordinator Melissa Dawson said: 'One of the players is six foot something – it's ridiculous. Netball Victoria needs to put the safety of biological females first.' B Grade player Erin added: 'I went up for the ball and just got pushed and dropped. They're so much stronger, and I'm genuinely scared I'll get hurt.' Trans women are NOT women, Supreme Court rules in win for anti-woke campaigners after battle over female-only spaces She said she would sit out any future games against Melton Central if the players remained in the lineup. Another player added: 'It deters women from playing the sport they love. We've worked hard to keep girls in the game.' Women's rights campaigner Sall Grover also weighed in, demanding Aranui's immediate removal from female competitions. 'There are many mixed-sex netball competitions at the recreational level,' she said. 'Everyone on those teams is making a choice to participate in a mixed-sex competition.' Grover, founder of women-only social app Giggle for Girls, warned: 'Males on female teams put the females in danger, while taking away the limited opportunities there are for sportswomen.' She continued: 'There are protections in the Sex Discrimination Act for female-only sport — look them up. 'It's about women having the right to play sport without fear of injury or losing opportunity.' Despite being ruled ineligible by the Ballarat Football Netball League in April, Aranui was still playing for Melton Central until the RDFNL stepped in this week. Melton Central president Paul Sinclair previously confirmed both transgender players would continue taking the court while the club awaited direction from Netball Victoria. Now, that direction appears to be coming into sharper focus. Netball Victoria has launched a formal investigation, engaging an independent expert to assess concerns raised by multiple clubs and players. A spokesperson said: 'We support and welcome netballers of all backgrounds. That includes gender diverse players who have rights under anti-discrimination laws.' Netball Victoria's 2018 policy — developed with Proud 2 Play and based on national guidelines — allows players to compete based on self-identified gender, not legal sex. But the fierce backlash has put pressure on officials to review how those policies are applied when safety and fairness are raised. Equality Australia argues against blanket bans, insisting 'community-level sport should focus on inclusion and participation.' But critics say the current system fails to protect female athletes. Grover added: 'Everyone needs to ask themselves why female sport exists in the first place. It's because male and female bodies are different, and bodies play sport.'
The Irish Sun
28-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Moment trans netball player flattens opponent before being banned from league as rival teams threaten to boycott matches
THIS is the moment a transgender netball player sent a rival crashing to the court - just days before being banned from competing as teams threatened to boycott matches. Footage shows Manawa Aranui, a former elite men's player, crashing into an opponent during a hard but legal play in Australia. 4 The moment Manawa Aranui crashed into an opponent during a netball game 4 Aranui immediately offers a hand to help her up 4 The athlete used to be an elite men's netball player 4 Aranui has since been banned from the league after rival teams threatened to boycott all games over safety fears Credit: Instagram/westernfnl The rival Romsey player hits the deck as Aranui — towering over her — immediately offers a hand to help her up. The clash on Sunday's match has since sparked outrage across the Victorian netball community with. On Wednesday, the Riddell District Netball Football League (RDFNL) announced that Aranui and another transgender player from Melton Central have now been banned for the rest of the 2025 season. The bombshell move came after Melton South Netball Club threatened to boycott all games involving the pair over safety fears. The league said: 'After lengthy consideration and consultation, the RDFNL has ruled that the two transgender participants be excluded from the RDFNL Netball Competitions for the remainder of the 2025 season on the premise that both participants exhibit superior stamina and physique over their competitors deeming Section 42 of the Sex Discrimination Act relevant.' That section of the law allows sporting bodies to exclude players if "strength, stamina, or physique" could create an unfair advantage or risk. Aranui — who previously starred in men's netball — has become a lightning rod in Australia's growing trans-in-sport debate. She was named best on ground in a Division 1 grand final for Melton Central, fuelling calls for a ban. Most read in Sport Melton South netball coordinator Melissa Dawson said: 'One of the players is six foot something – it's ridiculous. Netball Victoria needs to put the safety of biological females first.' B Grade player Erin added: 'I went up for the ball and just got pushed and dropped. They're so much stronger, and I'm genuinely scared I'll get hurt.' Trans women are NOT women, Supreme Court rules in win for anti-woke campaigners after battle over female-only spaces She said she would sit out any future games against Melton Central if the players remained in the lineup. Another player added: 'It deters women from playing the sport they love. We've worked hard to keep girls in the game.' Women's rights campaigner Sall Grover also weighed in, demanding Aranui's immediate removal from female competitions. 'There are many mixed-sex netball competitions at the recreational level,' she said. 'Everyone on those teams is making a choice to participate in a mixed-sex competition.' Grover, founder of women-only social app Giggle for Girls, warned: 'Males on female teams put the females in danger, while taking away the limited opportunities there are for sportswomen.' She continued: 'There are protections in the Sex Discrimination Act for female-only sport — look them up. 'It's about women having the right to play sport without fear of injury or losing opportunity.' Despite being ruled ineligible by the Ballarat Football Netball League in April, Aranui was still playing for Melton Central until the RDFNL stepped in this week. Melton Central president Paul Sinclair previously confirmed both transgender players would continue taking the court while the club awaited direction from Netball Victoria. Now, that direction appears to be coming into sharper focus. Netball Victoria has launched a formal investigation, engaging an independent expert to assess concerns raised by multiple clubs and players. A spokesperson said: 'We support and welcome netballers of all backgrounds. That includes gender diverse players who have rights under anti-discrimination laws.' Netball Victoria's 2018 policy — developed with Proud 2 Play and based on national guidelines — allows players to compete based on self-identified gender, not legal sex. But the fierce backlash has put pressure on officials to review how those policies are applied when safety and fairness are raised. Equality Australia argues against blanket bans, insisting 'community-level sport should focus on inclusion and participation.' Read more on the Irish Sun But critics say the current system fails to protect female athletes. Grover added: 'Everyone needs to ask themselves why female sport exists in the first place. It's because male and female bodies are different, and bodies play sport.'
NZ Herald
26-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Changing times as YMP build new rooms at Raupunga
And then there were the trees, from which the branches afforded some shelter for changing before and after the game, along the Putere Rd boundary. But they're gone, stalwart Gerald (Jed) Aranui recalling: 'When they took the trees away, they took away our changing rooms.' The honour of opening the changing rooms went to Aranui just before YMP and Clive old-stagers The Movement ran out for their Hawke's Bay Senior 3 rugby game on May 17, the culmination of what was only YMP's second club day, with five children's grade rugby matches and three netball games also played. The younger YMP ran in 11 tries, all but one converted, in winning 75-0 and maintaining an unbeaten record in 2025. But Clive, their bus arriving just in time for the formalities, quickly got over the demise, proud to have been the first visitors to use the new rooms. The facilities were supported by the Ngāti Pahauwera Development Trust, with chairman Toro Waaka also present for the opening. YMP's win took them to the Senior 3 first-round final, which Hawke's Bay Rugby Union community rugby manager Sean Davies said is expected to be played in June. It brings back memories of the club's Senior 3 championship win in 2017. Meanwhile, Wairoa side Tapuae have claimed the Poverty Bay women's title, with wins in the first games of a three-match series against the only other side, Gisborne YMP. Their men's team were beaten by Gisborne YMP for the second time this season in a 39-0 result in Wairoa. But the club's top side's first home defeat in three years still keeps the green-and-blacks in second place in the Poverty Bay Premier competition which they won last year, going unbeaten. Wairoa teams continued a domination of the Poverty Bay men's Senior 1 competition, Mahia beating Gisborne High School Old Boys 57-0, and Nūhaka beating Gisborne YMP's Second XV 31-20, both in Gisborne.
