It was a running punchline for generations. From comedy specials to backyard competitions, people would jokingly hold up scorecards for a performance of some sort, and in reading the results, someone would say, “You get a 9.5, a 9.8, a 9.7, and then 8.1 from the Russian judge!” It was a nod to a long-running issue in international competition, where a panel of judges determined results, and Eastern Bloc officials would be spotted delivering scores for other countries that were out of step with the other officials ruling on a result.
Well, now the International Olympic Committee appears to be working on rulings that are more than just embarrassing PR; they are placing the entire legitimacy of the Olympics in jeopardy. The IOC has just issued a set of media guidelines on how the press should refer to trans athletes and/or those from other marginalized categories. For a governing…
