Women’s World Cup

[ramAnag]

Do women participate in that Jessie's game of rugby league?

Oh aye, lad. Bloomin’ fearsome they are too...but they’re not about to challenge for a place in Super League.

[Andy_Faber]

I didn’t understand the BBC criticism either, Swale.

By ‘best’ I meant as far as it is quantifiable. In athletics, including swimming, the ‘best’ is quantified in terms of time and distance and the most successful (best) practitioners - i.e. world record holders - are all male.

In team sports it’s harder but I guess the ultimate question is, how many leading female players would be able to hack it amongst the top professional male players and the answer, I think, is none...not even close.

That is certainly true of sports that women haven’t traditionally had access to for very long (football, cricket, rugby) but I suspect it is also true of sports where there is a longer history of full female involvement...tennis, golf, hockey for example.

Not for one moment am I disrespecting women, or women’s sport. I believe totally in absolute equality in all other walks of life but in sport I doubt there can ever be a level playing field however skilful or entertaining all women or mixed competition may be.

Women’s sport should be celebrated for what it is , occasionally excellent and rapidly improving sport played by women. Comparison with men should be irrelevant . Should be. But.

Regrettably my opinion is that women’s sport will cease to exist within a decade as male to female transgender athletes exert their rights

[Geoff Parkstone]

Another triumph for Xavier Parkins