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Ross Tucker
@Scienceofsport
Sports scientist, PhD Exercise Physiology. The Science of Sport podcast. Not on here much these days. Find me at scienceofsportpodcast.discourse.group
Cape Town, South Africa
Joined February 2009
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  • Pinned
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Jan 21, 2022
    I want to try to explain something about testosterone and performance, since it has become the ‘fixation’ and the ‘the fix’ for inclusion policies for both DSD and trans athletes. So here’s a thread to ‘debunk’ and explain why T level, per se, is not quite the right place to look
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Mar 18, 2022
    The Lia Thomas result last night is pretty straightforward - confirmation of hypothesis. Based on the physiology, it was predictable that a male athlete with sufficient base level athleticism would suppress T, retain enough physiological advantage & thus performance, to win (1/_
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Apr 3, 2022
    Replying to @jk_rowling
    Never has a cartoon been more appropriate
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Apr 19, 2023
    This has been deleted, but I'd like to thank @peterjrainford for opening this door to some important points in this debate. First of all, this athlete was *RIGHTLY* disqualified because of the advantage gained by a car. Nobody who argues for fairness in sport would disagree...1/
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Jun 19, 2022
    Thank you FINA for listening to women, your own swimmers and coaches, and to science in creating a policy that respects women’s sport. @fina1908
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Jun 8, 2022
    Not “fellow female athletes”. Just “the female athletes”, a group of whom Bridges is not part. And by asking for the opportunities of said female athletes, Bridges is asking for more, not “the same”, because male physiological advantage persists. Should be challenged in interview
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    ITV News
    @itvnews
    Jun 7, 2022
    Replying to @itvnews @stevescott_itv and @BorisJohnson
    "I don't want special treatment from anyone, I just want the same opportunities as my fellow female athletes" Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges answers criticism from those who say she shouldn't be competing in women's events itv.com/news/2022-06-0…
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Jun 21, 2021
    Replying to @tomhfh
    Would you apply the same case by case principle to letting heavyweights box against lightweights, or adults play against youths? Or might it be that this undermines the purpose of sport. Also, how would you do it? Think through the criteria to evaluate this, are there issues?
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Mar 18, 2022
    Replying to @Scienceofsport
    And of course, “what is happening” is that women, not men, are not only being asked to step aside to allow men into a category that is necessarily and rationally closed to male physiological advantage, but to accept this, and then also to celebrate it. It’s a travesty for them
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Aug 9, 2024
    An incredibly impressive performance to act ignorant, confused and stupefied, while simultaneously lying through your teeth about the thing you sincerely pretend many people haven't explained to you for the last six years. It's as if a hall of mirrors came to life.
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    FairPlayForWomen
    @fairplaywomen
    Aug 9, 2024
    IOC is gaslighting the world. Bach says there’s no solid scientific way to tell who is a woman! He is taking us all for fools.
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Jun 21, 2021
    Replying to @tomhfh
    I can assure you that I am not the one who is confused. Let’s take weight - a weight class exists for boxing in BOTH men AND in women. Why is that? What would happen if we mix the sexes at the same weight? So again, let me ask, since you feel you know this: How would you do it?
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Apr 16, 2025
    The @FA policy that allows males into women's football is shambolic. One of the most revealing docs you'll ever read on this issue. Convoluted & illogical, it is a shrine to cowardice, intellectual dishonesty & their attitude towards women's sport
    124K
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Aug 2, 2024
    I have some thoughts on this, if I may. First, the cheek swab for those not in the know is a simple and non-invasive test that allows them to distinguish between people who are XX and XY, by scraping cells off the inside of the cheek, and checking under microscope. However...
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    judy murray
    @JudyMurray
    Aug 1, 2024
    This should never have been allowed to happen. Bring back the swab test. Sport has to be fair and safe for biological women.
    990K
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Jun 21, 2021
    Replying to @Scienceofsport and @tomhfh
    Let’s take the first step. We use weight. We say that a male at 70kg should be accepted into women’s sport at 70kg. Now we discovered that this male is 34% stronger than the weight-matched female. Now what? We have to screen for strength, is that right? How do we do this in a
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    Ross Tucker
    @Scienceofsport
    Jul 14, 2023
    With the UCI decision today, even if imperfect, it means rugby, swimming, track and field and cycling have all recognized the biological implications of sex, and respected women’s rights to fair and safe sport. The IOC, meanwhile, still believe in “no presumption of advantage”,
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