The question of whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women's sport is one that has been floating around for a few years now but, with the recent NCAA victory of Lia Thomas in the US, it has been thrown into the limelight again. Complaints have been made from numerous fellow swimmers as to why Thomas - who has been undergoing hormone replacement therapy for two and a half years - was allowed to compete. In her column this morning Sonia O'Sullivan lays out her case for why transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete in women's sport as they will always have a biological advantage. "It's not just about setting rules around testosterone levels, it's also the physical size and ability of the person. If you're bigger and stronger you're going to be better, whether you're a big, strong woman or a big, strong man. Size definitely matters," she writes.
Yesterday morning the surprise news came through that world number one tennis player and three-time grand slam champion Ash Barty had announced her retirement from the sport at the age of just 25. The Australian joins a long list of tennis stars who called time on their career early and, this morning, Johnny Watterson writes that the news gives the sport plenty to ponder.
In soccer, Ireland face Belgium at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday and, this morning, James McDermott writes that the football links between the two countries go back centuries to when Irish student Cyril Bernard Morragh turned up at the Josephites College of Melle with a leather football tucked under his arm, introducing the sport to the country. The world number one ranked side could well be making a return to Ireland in six years for Euro 2028 if the joint bid to host the tournament with the UK is successful. However, yesterday a spanner was thrown into the works when Turkey declared an interest in hosting before Russia did the same, provoking a response from Uefa to say that more sanctions could be imposed on the country.
To rugby and Keith Earls is on course to make his return for Munster after missing the Six Nations with a thigh injury. The 34-year-old has stepped up his training load and while he won't be involved in this Friday's clash against Benetton Rugby in Cork, he could make his return the following weekend. Meanwhile, the women's Six Nations gets underway this weekend when Ireland face Wales. After recent disappointments, Greg McWilliams brings the team into the campaign, looking to put the noise behind them.
Finally to GAA and Ciarán Murphy writes this morning that Galway are among a number of counties that can dare to dream this year with the football championship looking to be more open than it has been in a long time.
