By Mikayla van Loon
Last week, the Kilsyth Basketball Association had to confirm a transgender player has applied to play in the NBL1 South league women’s team after it was leaked on social media.
The Association released a statement on the afternoon of Tuesday 14 March confirming the application and that Basketball Victoria was assessing the player’s eligibility.
“A transgender athlete applied for selection in our Kilsyth Cobras NBL1 Women’s team for the 2023 NBL1 South season,” the statement said.
“Our NBL1 Women’s coach invited the athlete to participate in try-outs ahead of an eligibility assessment, as required by Basketball Victoria.”
Kilsyth Basketball said the player would continue to train with the squad until an outcome was reached by Basketball Victoria.
“The athlete has undertaken all the necessary medical and physical testing required to determine eligibility, and we are waiting to hear the outcome from Basketball Victoria.
“As always, the wellbeing of everyone involved is our number one priority, and we will continue to support all members of our community.”
Working in conjunction with Basketball Australia, Basketball Victoria has developed the Guidelines for the Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse People in Basketball in Victoria.
In a statement released by Basketball Victoria, it said these guidelines are about “opportunities for transgender athletes while balancing fairness and inclusion.”
Basketball Victoria CEO Nick Honey said the guidelines will act as a support mechanism across all divisions of community and professional basketball with a focus on inclusion and wellbeing of participants.
“It is important that all athletes participate in an inclusive, fair, and respectful environment and we hope all in the community can move forward together with a clear understanding of the new guidelines,” he said.
Basketball Victoria’s Diversity and Inclusion Manager Sheena Atkin said by having guidelines in place, it will ensure athletes, coaches and officials will remain in an inclusive and welcoming environment.
“Basketball has long prided itself as ‘Everyone’s Game’ and this remains the case, particularly at the ‘Community’ level,” she said.
“We recognise there is still much to learn in this space, the new guidelines confirm the inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community into all levels of basketball being an imperative.”
The discussion around transgender athletes in basketball was sparked by a controversial social media post by former NBA player Andrew Bogut on Monday evening.
Basketball Australia released a statement on Tuesday expressing its disappointment of the conversations being had on social media.
“It’s been disappointing to see the negative commentary and hurtful language used across social media over the past 24 hours,” the statement said.
“We ask for patience and understanding as we support Basketball Victoria in navigating through this complex space with integrity and respect for all involved, and also thank those in the community who have shown sensitivities at this time.”
