Latest news with #womensports
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Violence erupts over trans athlete AB Hernandez in California with supporter arrested for smashing car with Pride flag
VIOLENT protests have erupted in California after a trans athlete served a crushing defeat to female rivals at the state championship. AB Hernandez, 16, came first in the women's long jump and triple jump heats at the sporting event - in defiance of Donald Trump's executive order to ban trans athletes from women's sports. 4 4 4 4 She will compete today at the finals of the Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters Meet. But a crowd of angry parents confronted her mother at the event to complain that a trans girl was competing against their daughters. It has now turned into a heated row with dozens of protestors carrying out demonstrations to 'save girls sports". Protesters were seen carrying placards and boards outside the Veterans' Memorial Stadium, where the sporting event took place. A banner reading "NO BOYS IN GIRLS' SPORTS!" was flown above the sporting venue during the high school track-and-field championships. The protests quickly turned violent after one person was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Clovis police Sgt. Chris Hutchison told the Chronicle. He said the person - understood to be an LGBTQ activist - allegedly used a Pride flag to smash a car window, leaving a person injured. More fiery protests are expected to take off as Hernandez prepares to take on her female rivals during the finals today. Yesterday, furious high school parents berated the mother of the trans athlete after her dominant victory. The video, which has now gone viral on TikTok, shows the parents hounding Hernandez's mother for allowing her to compete. One of the parents can be heard yelling at her mother: "What a coward of a woman you are allowing that." Hernandez's story previously made headlines after another teenage girl that she beat to first place in a separate contest waited for her to descend from the podium before moving to pose in the top spot. In the TikTok, the parent can also be heard shouting: "Your mental illness is on your son, coward." But more than half of US states have implemented bans on trans youth athletes participating since 2020. In an Instagram post, Hernandez's mother said: "It takes immense bravery to show up, compete, and be visible in a world that often questions your very right to exist, let alone to participate." Hernandez's case was thrust into national attention after Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from California over her sporting participation. Her successes prompted the California Interscholastic Federation to change its rules to allow "biological female" student athletes who would have made the qualifying mark without a trans contestant in the race to compete in the finals. A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom's office called the proposed pilot "reasonable". California state law allows the participation of trans women and girls in women's sports. Trump posted on Truth Social: "Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to." His message refers to an Executive Order from February titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports". In an interview with Capital & Main, Hernandez, from Jurupa Valley, California, said: "There's nothing I can do about people's actions, just focus on my own. "I'm still a child. You're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person." She faced heckling and protesters in the crowd at a track meet earlier this month and was accompanied by campus security and Sheriff's Department deputies, CNN has reported. "Girls were just shocked that people would actually come to do that, and really bully a child," she said. "I've trained so hard. I mean, hours of conditioning every day, five days a week. "Every day since November, three hours after school. And then all of summer, no summer break for me." Her mother added that those who have "doxed, harassed and violated my daughter AB's privacy" have created a "hostile and unsafe environment for a minor".
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Trans teen competes in US high school athletics championships
The participation of trans athletes in women's sports events has been the subject of intense controversy. (AFP pic) SAN FRANCISCO : A transgender high school athlete shrugged off scattered protests and heated criticism from president Donald Trump to reach the finals of multiple events at California's state championships today. AB Hernandez, 16, was the top qualifier for tomorrow's finals in the girls' long jump and girls' high jump at the California State Track & Field Championships in Clovis, outside of Fresno. Hernandez's participation at the meeting has been the subject of intense controversy, with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) scrambling to adjust competition rules this week as anger grew on all sides. About a dozen protesters outside the venue sported T-shirts and signs reading 'Save girls sports.' On Tuesday, CIF officials announced that entry rules had been modified so that biological females were not excluded from competition due to the participation of trans athletes. A day later, CIF issued another rule change – specifically targeting events in which Hernandez was qualified to compete – which mandates that any athlete who misses out on a podium finish behind a trans athlete would still receive a medal. 'If necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event,' the federation announced in a statement. The last-minute rules changes came after days of controversy which have included Hernandez being targeted by Trump on social media. The US President, who did not mention Hernandez by name, threatened to withhold federal funding from California in future if she was allowed to compete in this week's championships, which got underway today with finals due tomorrow. 'As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,' Trump wrote. 'Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to…This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' Trump's comment was followed by an announcement from the US department of justice that it had launched an investigation into whether California had violated Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programmes that receive federal funding. Local and state officials have also criticised Hernandez's participation, calling for the teenager to be prevented from competing. At a press conference yesterday, Clovis mayor Diane Pearce called for CIF to block Hernandez's participation following their rule amendments earlier in the week. 'Today, I call on CIF to do the right thing. Updates one and two were not enough, but the third time can be the charm,' Pearce said. 'CIF still has a chance to make it right by removing biological males from girls' sports.'
CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Major League Baseball announces investment in new pro softball league
Major League Baseball is purchasing a stake in Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) as part of its efforts to grow the league ahead of its inaugural season, MLB said in a statement Thursday. The league will work to help raise the profile of the AUSL and its athletes through editorial, social media activities, marketing, events and distribution, airing some AUSL games on MLB Network and according to the statement. MLB purchased an equity stake worth more than 20% in the company, a source told ESPN senior MLB Insider Jeff Passan. The AUSL, which launches this year, will feature four teams – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Vaults – playing 24 games each against one another between June 7 and July 23. The top two teams will then compete in a best-of-three series, held between July 26 and 28. 'MLB's investment will supercharge our efforts to build the sustainable professional league this sport has long deserved, and sends a powerful message about the value of female athletes and the importance of creating professional opportunities for them,' AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng said in a statement. 'Together, we're going to reach new fans and inspire the next generation of softball players.' MLB commissioner Rob Manfred added: 'During this extraordinarily exciting time for women's sports, we want softball to thrive. MLB is committed to help build a sustainable and impactful league that drives fandom, serves the softball community, and benefits all female athletes.' Women's elite sports revenues are projected to reach a record $2.35 billion this year, according to Deloitte, more than triple the market size in 2022 – though the underlying context of the report was that disparities between sports, markets, and even within leagues persist.
CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Major League Baseball announces investment in new pro softball league
Major League Baseball is purchasing a stake in Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) as part of its efforts to grow the league ahead of its inaugural season, MLB said in a statement Thursday. The league will work to help raise the profile of the AUSL and its athletes through editorial, social media activities, marketing, events and distribution, airing some AUSL games on MLB Network and according to the statement. MLB purchased an equity stake worth more than 20% in the company, a source told ESPN senior MLB Insider Jeff Passan. The AUSL, which launches this year, will feature four teams – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Vaults – playing 24 games each against one another between June 7 and July 23. The top two teams will then compete in a best-of-three series, held between July 26 and 28. 'MLB's investment will supercharge our efforts to build the sustainable professional league this sport has long deserved, and sends a powerful message about the value of female athletes and the importance of creating professional opportunities for them,' AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng said in a statement. 'Together, we're going to reach new fans and inspire the next generation of softball players.' MLB commissioner Rob Manfred added: 'During this extraordinarily exciting time for women's sports, we want softball to thrive. MLB is committed to help build a sustainable and impactful league that drives fandom, serves the softball community, and benefits all female athletes.' Women's elite sports revenues are projected to reach a record $2.35 billion this year, according to Deloitte, more than triple the market size in 2022 – though the underlying context of the report was that disparities between sports, markets, and even within leagues persist.
Bloomberg
7 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Trump Threatens California Funding Freeze Over Trans Athlete Ban
President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from California, accusing Governor Gavin Newsom of failing to comply with an executive order barring transgender people from competing in women's sports. Trump posted Tuesday on social media that he would speak to Newsom 'to find out which way he wants to go.' The US president said the athlete, whom he did not name, was competing in a 'State Finals' in a sport he did not specify.
