Abstrakt
This paper addresses some problems arising with respect to the male/female binary division that has traditionally been central to most sports. One strategy for dealing with this problem is to remove the binary and allow athletes of different sexes to compete together.
Firstly, since there are different ways of 'mixing' athletes together, a distinction between two major kinds will be introduced: 'mixed sports' (sports with an allocated position for a number of malesandfemalesinateam,whichretainsthebinary)and'unisexsports'(sport participation of all athletes together based on merit, with no need to distinguish between sexes). Secondly, I shall offer a strategy for the modification of existing sports and the creation of new sports that would accommodate athletes of different sexes in 'unisex sports'.
This means paying attention to howsportsareconstructedandwhichabilities/skillstheytest.Forunisexsports, two kinds of logic are suggested: 'balance of abilities/skills logic' proposes that we should seek a balance of what we presently understand as female and male (together with sex-neutral) abilities/skills to be included in the sporting challenge; whereas 'complexity logic' proposes the creation or modification of sports so as to test for a wider spectrum of abilities/skills.