A transgender athlete blocked from playing AFLW is now fearing a fresh ban that would stop her from representing Australia at the Los Angeles Olympics.
In 2017, transgender footballer Hannah Mouncey was ruled ineligible for the AFL Women’s draft under the league’s gender diversity policy, which assessed physical attributes such as strength, stamina, and physique.
The AFL said her inclusion could have an ‘unreasonable physical advantage’ over other players, a decision that drew criticism from advocates who argued it was discriminatory.
Mouncey, who had previously represented Australia in men’s handball, was later allowed to play in state-level women’s competitions, including the VFLW.
Now, the 35-year-old has returned to her first love, playing handball for Australia with a view to represent her country at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Mouncey made her debut for Australia’s women’s national handball team in late 2018, competing at the Asian Women’s Handball Championship in November.
Hannah Mouncey fears new global rules could end her Olympic handball dream despite years representing Australia internationally
Mouncey debuted for Australia’s women’s handball team in 2018, competing at the Asian Women’s Handball Championship in November
International federations, including Asia’s governing body, have welcomed Mouncey, with positive responses even from teams in conservative countries
She remains an integral part of the Australian women’s handball team which hopes to qualify for the LA Olympics in 2028 and then gain automatic qualification for the Brisbane 2032 Games.
However, Mouncey doesn’t expect her dream to come true, expecting rising anti-Transgender athlete sentiment to slam the door shut on her.
‘I expect to be banned by the end of the year, if I am honest,’ she told the Sacked podcast.
‘It seems like that is where they are going at the moment, they are looking probably at a ban across the board, and not just for trans athletes, but intersex athletes. They will be forced to compete in the men’s competition.
‘But I am playing for Australia at the moment, I have played for the Australian women’s team for seven or eight years now, and I have had no issues really at all, especially from overseas.
‘I have been very open about it with the international federations, they have been fantastic, the Asian handball federation has no issues at all.
‘I have competed in the Asian championships and had no issues and no other teams I have played against in those competitions have ever raised any concerns or issues at all.
‘It is the exact opposite, and from countries where people might be more conservative. I have had such positive responses from some of the girls from Iran and Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.’
Once banned from AFLW, Hannah Mouncey is now worried rising anti-trans sentiment will block her Olympic ambitions
Mouncey believes bans by FINA and World Athletics indicate her sport may be next to exclude transgender athletes
Just before the 2016 Rio Olympics, the IOC updated its policy on transgender athletes, permitting them to compete in the Olympics and other international events without the requirement of sex reassignment surgery.
The International Handball Federation updated its statutes in February, 2024, permitting the inclusion of transgender athletes.
‘The IHF tolerates no discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or groups of people on the grounds of racial origin, gender, language, religion or politics,’ the statutes read.
Despite that, Mouncey continues to face opposition to her inclusion in the Australian Women’s Handball team.
Canadian William Allen, who was born a man and lived 30 years as a transgender woman before de-transitioning back a man, has been a vocal opponent.
Australian media personality Lucy Zelić and Giggle app developer Sall Grover have been strongly opposed to transgender women competing in women’s sports.
In June 2022, FINA, the international governing body for swimming, introduced a policy that effectively bans most transgender women from competing in elite women’s events.
In March 2023, the IAAF – now known as World Athletics – announced new regulations that ban transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in elite female track and field events.
The 35-year-old athlete says years of hormone therapy have significantly reduced her strength and physical advantages
Despite fears of exclusion, Mouncey remains a key figure in Australia’s women’s handball team’s Olympic qualification plans
Which has made Mouncey feel that other sports are next, including her own.
‘The fight is hard. What makes me good as an athlete is also the thing that’s probably my downfall outside of that, and that is I can’t walk away from a fight,’ she said.
‘There is pressure from a vocal minority and we know that FINA has banned trans people as has the IAAF. There is huge pressure from the United States government as hosts of the next Olympics. And they are very anti trans anyway.
‘But I think the evidence in this is that if there was this problem of trans people having an unfair advantage, we would know it by now in the results. But we don’t have it.
‘There is obviously a fairness element to it, and I am a big believer in that there has to be restrictions there. I have always advocated for that.
‘But where the IOC is now where you need 12-24 months of hormone treatment is spot on as someone who has been through it.
‘I started hormone treatment after we got back from Qatar to try to qualify for the Rio Olympics and in November 2015 I squatted 200 kilograms, benched 150kg, cleaned 140kg.
‘Within 12 months everything had dropped by two thirds across the board. My quad had gone down to 60 or 65, my bench had dropped to 50.
‘People don’t understand that it is because you lose testosterone from the body and that has an impact across the board.’
