BBC pundit Sharron Davies has claimed a shadow has been cast over the Sports Personality of the Year awards following the announcement that footballer Barbra Banda will be among the prize winners.
Davies has added her signature to a letter to BBC bosses slamming them for “promoting” Banda, who is set to win the women's Footballer of the Year prize. The criticism stems from the prolific Orlando Pride forward reportedly failing to meet gender eligibility rules ahead of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
It was claimed that Banda was withdrawn from Zambia’s squad over concerns that she would not meet the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s requirements, which differs to those set by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.
Despite it later transpiring that Banda did not go under a test, the president of the Zambian federation, Andrew Kamanga, said at the time: “All players had to undergo gender verification, a Caf requirement, and unfortunately she did not meet the criteria set by Caf.”
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According to The Times, a letter signed by Davies read: “There is now a risk this will cast a shadow over the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Our female athletes deserve better than for the national broadcaster to promote this player as if there were no questions to be answered.
“It is now almost inevitable that young women like Keely Hodgkinson, whose own event was overshadowed by DSD [Differences of Sexual Development] male athletes, prompting World Athletics to pursue new regulations all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, will be asked about this when the focus should be on their own achievements.”
Wide-ranging reports suggest that Banda’s natural testosterone levels were above the CAF’s maximum threshold.
Anton Maksimov, Banda’s agent, claimed at the time that she was not banned from the tournament and that she had not undergone any gender verification testing. He said: “The decision not to currently feature Barbra at the tournament is FAZ (Zambia’s football federation)’s internal decision based on their own evaluation of her physical conditions before coming to Morocco.
“I reiterate that nothing, no existing regulations that we are aware of, prevents Barbra’s participation in the WAFCON 2022. Barbra has not failed any medical tests in this regard either.”
Banda has been voted as the Women’s Footballer of the Year by a panel of experts including players, coaches, journalists and administrators.
In a fantastic personal year, she became the leading African scorer in Olympic history, scoring her 10th goal in the competition during Zambia’s campaign. She scored 13 times for Pride during the regular season of the National Women’s Super League.
