The inclusion of trans athletes in regular divisions of sports is a highly divisive topic. Martina Navratilova is someone who keenly engages in such conversations, and her stance on such an instance is firmly against it. The Czech-American former player has clear-cut opinions on women’s sports, which is why a bar from Oregon has caught her attention.

The Sports Bra, which counts Alexis Ohanian, husband of Serena Williams, as an investor is unique for only showcasing women’s sports on the TV. The bar recently celebrated the victory of a trans athlete, Aayden Gallagher, as she finished 1st and 2nd in different divisions at the state level. As the news spread on ‘X,‘ Navratilova couldn’t believe what she had read.

As a reply to the post, she wrote, “Seriously??? Can’t make this up…”. The McDaniel High School sophomore finished first in the 200-meter race at the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) Track and Field State Championships last week. The Sports Bra explained in their post caption that Gallagher’s mom had reached out to them, looking for “a safe space and community” to celebrate her daughter.

Gallagher became the Oregon Girls’ 6A 200-meter state champion and finished second in the 400-meter race. But along with Navratilova, her victory also received boos from the audience after she crossed the finish line.

Navratilova is often vocal about her opinions on trans athletes and even lashed out at British actor Daniel Radcliffe when he said, “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people.” Navratilova replied, “Just be quiet Daniel. Be quiet.”

Being a former athlete, Navratilova keeps up with developments in sports worldwide. Another instance of her displeasure at trans athletes took place in 2022, when a swimmer won a freestyle event.

Martina Navratilova provides “compete but you don’t get the medal” as a solution 

The then-22-year-old American swimmer Lia Thomas made history by winning the NCAA 500m freestyle as a transgender athlete. Martina Navratilova soon entered the debate and shared her thoughts in an exclusive interview with NewsNation. “It’s not about excluding transgender women from winning, ever. But it is about not allowing them to win when they were not anywhere near winning as men.”

Navratilova’s ‘solution’ for the issue was, “The solution perhaps for now is (for Thomas) to swim in another lane or you can compete but you don’t get the medal because the (NCAA) rules are not correct.” The controversy would have other celebrities weighing in as well, including Michael Phelps and Caitlyn Jenner, who resonated with Navratilova’s comments.

With her recent uproar about a sports bar’s celebrations, we have not seen the last comment of the legendary player in this field. What do you think of the situation?