I haven’t been able to binge-watch the Paralympics in the same way I did the other Olympics but the bits I have seen have been quite remarkable.

That these athletes are capable of such bravery and determination in the face of adversity makes these games a sporting event that should really serve as inspiration to everyone.

For the most part the Paris event has been perfectly executed and has gone off without a hitch, but it wouldn’t be a major sporting contest without an element of controversy, would it?

Last week, visually impaired sprinter Valentina Petrillo made it through to the semi-finals of the T12 400 metres race at the relatively ripe old age of 51.

So far so good. It’s a nice story, I hear you say, especially considering some of us of similar age – no names mentioned – get tired driving 400 metres.

But here’s the problem: she is not a natural woman.

Creating a third category in all sporting events for those who don’t fit under the traditional categories of male or female is the only logical way forward

Up until 2018, at the age of 47, Valentina was a burly, beefy lad who went by the name of Fabrizio. He won no less than 12 national titles in events for those with sight problems, making him a pretty formidable competitor.

But then, in 2019 Fabrizio decided he wanted to be a woman, started hormone treatment, and turns up on the female para sport circuit ready to rock and roll. Bob’s your aunt.

It is criminally unfair on the women taking part in the T12 200m and 400m events that a man who went through puberty, trained as a man, built muscle as a man and competed as a man should be able to decide he is a woman and go to steal a place in the women’s semi-final.

Luckily for everyone involved, the plot wasn’t thickened by Valentina winning the overall title. She (I feel like wokeness compels me to use that word) was eliminated in the semis. Otherwise, this is a controversy that would have run long and hard.

Sport, from top to bottom, needs to urgently address this problem before it gets any worse. It is putting the transgender community under horrendous scrutiny, and doing nothing to help their attempts to be a widely accepted section of society.

More importantly, cases like this are creating a deeply unfair scenario for female athletes, and that is unforgivable. Women that have trained their whole lives, looking for a moment of glory, seeing their dreams shattered by beards in spandex.

Creating a third category in all sporting events for those who don’t fit under the traditional categories of male or female is the only logical way forward.

The sooner those in charge of sport – from football to swimming, and from athletics to tiddlywinks – accept this, the sooner everyone can more forward competing fairly in the sport they love.

 

Worth the wait

What a magic moment for San Marino on Thursday night winning their first game in 20 years and, even more significantly, securing their first ever competitive win.

Of the 206 matches they have taken part in they have lost 196, so their victory over Liechtenstein in the Nations League would have really hit the spot. Ironically their last victory, way back in 2004, was also against Liechtenstein.

Gives new relevance to the famous football chant “Can we play you every week?”...

 

Things can only get better

A fortnight ago I wrote, and I quote: “The feeling around Old Trafford and among the club’s fans seems to be considerably more positive than it has been for a while.”

Fast forward just 14 days and I am wondering if I might not have been under the influence of some sort of narcotics at the time. Doubly so when you consider I backed up that little pearl of wisdom by suggesting they would finish fourth this season.

It’s still early days, admittedly, and a huge amount can change over the course of the next 35 Premier League matches. But I haven’t seen anything yet in the three games they have played to back up my theory that the future is looking brighter for them.

A tight but generally warranted victory over Fulham got the ball rolling, but the defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion was characterised by awful substitutions before the 3-0 defeat to Liverpool showed there is a massive gulf between United and the teams at the top.

Are they a club in transition right now? Well yes. The fact that 13 players were moved out in the summer with five new ones brought shows this is a rebuilding process that will take time.

If you are looking for excuses, you could also point out that Manuel Ugarte has yet to start for United, while key players like Rasmus Hojlund, Luke Shaw, and new signing Leny Yoro have all missed the first three matches through injury.

But, in my mind, that would scraping the empty barrel of justification.

Transition or not, injuries or not, Manchester United should not be capitulating 3-0 at home to Liverpool in such abject fashion. And, as much as this goes against his personality, manager Erik ten Hag is going to have to start taking some responsibility for performances.

Why is he still picking Marcus Rashford, for example, when it is patently clear the lad has fallen out of love with football? Why does Casemiro keep getting the nod when it is patently clear he has forgotten how to play football?

These are questions only Ten Hag can answer, yet he prefers not to, instead telling the world he isn’t Harry Potter. Which is lucky, because if he were, that would make him a fictional wizard and not particularly useful to Manchester United.

I said in that article a couple of weeks ago, that Ten Hag was growing on me, and that was based on his grit and determination not to give up.

But surely he can’t keep making mistakes on a near weekly basis and not expect to pay the price.

That Sir Jim Radcliffe has allowed Ten Hag to stay on this season and be involved in the rebuilding process suggests he has faith in the Dutchman’s ability to be a part of the new United.

But, just three games in, that faith is being severely tested by his manager, who is taking decisions on starting line-ups and substitutions that defy logic.

Barring a quick and drastic change in results and performances, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Ten Hag were the first managerial casualty of the season...

 

E-mail: James.calvert@timesofmalta.com

Twitter: @Maltablade