A nonprofit fencing group penned an open letter to USA Fencing Board Members this week, urging the nationwide governing physique for the game to re-evaluate its stance on a number of points, together with event web site choice standards, because it pertains to particular person states’ abortion insurance policies, transgender inclusion and DEI.
The Truthful Fencing Group (FFO), which describes itself as a nationwide nonprofit group, raised issues over a number of points in an open letter to USFA board members on Tuesday. Within the letter, the group calls on the governing physique to make choices not on “political correctness” however moderately within the curiosity of its members.
USA Fencing is the nationwide governing physique for the game and units the coverage for competitors tips. (Patrick Smith/Getty Pictures)
“Your private political stand or choice shouldn’t, and can’t take priority over the desire of majority of the members. Particularly, your choice on points can’t solely fulfill your individual feeling of ethical superiority or be obsessive about political correctness, whereas ignoring the curiosity of members.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The problems raised within the letter are outlined in three components.
FFO’s letter alleged that USA Fencing “has a coverage of prioritizing the States that assist girls’s abortion rights” when choosing websites for nationwide tournaments. The group argued that doing so “is a political selection and not using a frequent consensus of the members,” and known as on USA Fencing board members to as a substitute prioritize “security, accessibility, and financials.”
“Nothing else issues greater than these three components. In USFA’s prior web site choices, our fencers have been harassed by hooligans on the road, heard gunshots outdoors of their motels, whereas some households hid for security in a restaurant’s kitchen. It solely takes one crime in opposition to our members to trigger irreparable hurt to the fencing group and USFA.”
Saber fencing gear is seen throughout a contest on the Larger Richmond Conference Middle on April 11, 2016, in Richmond, Virginia. (Patrick Smith/Getty Pictures)
In line with USA Fencing coverage, the factors for web site choice embrace however will not be restricted to:
- Profitability
- Member expertise, satisfaction, and price
- Journey comfort
- Sq. footage necessities (together with parafencing lodging).
- Metropolis curiosity and availability in internet hosting
- Inclusivity
TRANSGENDER FEMALE FENCER SCORES WORLD TITLE OVER 14-TIME CHAMPION
FFO individually known as on the board members to think about forming an “all-women process pressure” to grasp the impression that transgender athletes have on feminine rivals. The letter acknowledges that the proposal was motioned by one of many board members, however added that whereas they don’t oppose transgender athletes, they are going to contemplate taking authorized motion if the difficulty just isn’t additional thought-about.
“Politics apart, it’s a affordable request to kind a process pressure to do a deeper dive on this challenge in fencing and create a secure house the place the voices of all girls are heard with out ridicule and abuse.”
USA Fencing’s present coverage states that it’s going to “not discriminate on the idea of gender identification, no matter intercourse assigned at beginning, or every other type of gender expression for participation in any division.” Athletes are capable of compete “in a way per their gender identification/ expression, whatever the gender related to the intercourse they have been assigned at beginning.”
For some classes, there are guidelines concerning testosterone suppression remedy.
A USA fencing masks is left within the warm-up space throughout a apply session forward of the 2012 London Olympic Video games at ExCeL Centre on July 24, 2012, in London, England. (Hannah Peters/Getty Pictures)
In a latest occasion, a pupil who had beforehand competed for the Wagner College males’s fencing staff earlier than switching to the ladies’s staff this season gained gold within the junior girls’s foil on the Connecticut Division Junior Olympic Qualifiers earlier this month.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The ultimate challenge raised within the letter is USA Fencing’s stance on DEI positions. The FFO particularly known as on the game’s governing physique to not use “members’ funds for a paid place for a DEI function.”
“In precept, USFA shouldn’t use members’ funds to create any ideologically or politically motivated positions ever except it’s licensed by the vast majority of the members.”
In an e mail to Fox Information Digital, USA Fencing mentioned it will be “inappropriate and in opposition to protocol to publicly remark” on any motions or proposals earlier than the board assembly, which is scheduled for Saturday.
“These issues shall be completely mentioned and deliberated upon through the assembly, guaranteeing that choices are made in accordance with the group’s governance procedures,” the e-mail learn.
USA Fencing famous that its board members “are elected by our members and are entrusted to characterize their pursuits and make choices they imagine are in the most effective curiosity of the fencing group as a complete.”
Observe Fox Information Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Source link
