BBC Sport chief criticised for trans article pledges to ‘leave views at door’

Alex Kay-Jelski was appointed the BBC's head of sport in April this year

Credit: Diarmuid Greene/Getty

The new director of BBC Sport has pledged to leave his personal views “at the door” after he was criticised for dismissing concerns about trans sportswomen.

In a new statement,Alex Kay-Jelski said he had been “calling for kindness in the debate” but would “not be advocating for any position in my role at the BBC”.

Mr Kay-Jelski had been attacked by JK Rowling for a column he wrote in 2019,in which he appeared to compare women concerned about the fairness of biological men participating in female categories to racists.

Rowling tweeted earlier this month that it was “utterly predictable” someone like Mr Kay-Jelski would be appointed by the BBC to the prominent role,citing what she described as the broadcaster’s “shameful” record on gender issues.

Comparison to racism

In his 2019 article,Mr Kay-Jelski,who was then sports editor of The Times,claimed that athletes who spoke out on trans sport,such as Martina Navratilova and Sharron Davies,were “not experts”.

He seemed to compare those who portrayed trans athletes as “threatening” to racists who might say things such as “don’t let black men in the same shops as you or they’ll rape your women”.

He concluded by saying how “mad” and “nasty” it would be to argue Jamaican sprinters or Ethiopian marathon runners should only compete against each other,as they also had genetic advantages.

Mr Kay-Jelski issued his statement on Thursday to the group SEENinJournalism,which describes itself as a network of journalists committed to “truth and impartiality” around gender issues,saying he had not meant to cause offence.

‘No intention of disrespect’

He wrote: “I was making the point that there were not,to my knowledge,many transgender athletes performing at the top of their sport and consequently,they were not a major feature of elite sport.

“I had no intention of being disrespectful to any former or current athletes. Instead,I was calling for kindness in the debate because I did not want my words to have the reverse effect and I have never called into question anyone’s expertise on women’s sport.

“I am not a campaigner and I will not be advocating for any position in my role at the BBC. Anyone who works for the BBC is expected to leave their views at the door and approach issues with impartiality. 

“Under my leadership,BBC Sport will report these issues impartially.”

Mr Kay-Jelski was appointed in April to replace Barbara Slater,who retired after 14 years as the BBC’s Director of Sport. She was paid an annual salary of between £230,000 and £234,999. Details of her successor’s remuneration have not yet been published.

‘Gone through hell’

In his 2019 article,Mr Kay-Jelski suggested trans people seeking to compete in sports in their chosen gender should be allowed to “quietly go about their lives” and told readers they had “gone through hell compared to you”.

Mara Yamauchi,who represented Britain as a marathon runner in the 2008 Olympics,said she was not satisfied by Mr Kay-Jelski’s remarks.

Writing on X,formerly Twitter,she summarised his statement as: “There are only a few males in women’s sport and anyway,be kind!” She added: “This gives me zero reassurance.”