a dangerous decline in nature — a landmark un study warns that wildlife and habitats are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. experts sayi million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, with urgent action needed. the scale of the problem is immense. it's from local to truly global and it's urgent. police hunting forjoseph mccann in connection with a series of alleged abductions and rapes have made an arrest in cheshire. the pilot of the russian plane that crashed at moscow airport, killing 41 people, suggests it was struck by lightning. and running a marathon in under two hours — kenya's eliud kipchoge announces a new attempt to break athletics‘ last great barrier.

good afternoon. governments across the world are being urged to take decisive action to protect the environment following a damning report by the united nations into the state of the natural world. the global assessment is the largest of its kind taking over three years to compile and involving hundreds of experts. among its findings are that up to a million species are at risk of extinction, with 40% of amphibians under threat and a third of marine mammals. it's calling for urgent action to save the nature which it says humanity's survival depends on. our science correspondent rebecca morelle is in paris.

yes. the report has been released in paris and it really does make for some grim reading. a lot of the experts we have spoken to said quite frankly they have been shocked to see the scale of this problem laid bare. the problem is nature isn't just lovely to look at but also crucial from the just lovely to look at but also crucialfrom the air we just lovely to look at but also crucial from the air we breathe to the food we eat and losing it could have a devastating impact. from the oceans... ..to the land. from insects, to exotic plants. life on earth is declining at its fastest rate in millions of years. this is the stark conclusion of a major new un report which warns the planet is facing an ecological crisis. the scale of the problem is immense. it is from local to truly

global and it is urgent. we are losing biodiversity at an unprecedented rate, threatening nature for future generations and threatening human wellbeing. less food, less water. it is a massive problem and we need to act now. the report details the destructive impact that humans are having on the environment. 75% of all the land on earth has been severely altered by humans. 85% of wetlands have disappeared since the 18th century. they are now vanishing at a faster rate than the forests. and plastic pollution has increased tenfold since the 1980s. the backdrop to this is that human population has doubled in the last 50 years, adding growing pressure to the natural world. this small patch of land belonging to the devon wildlife trust, hemmed in by busy roads, is a refuge for the narrow headed ant.

these insects were once widespread, but, as their habitat has shrunk, now this is the only place in england they can be found. this ant is one of the last of its kind but it's vital for this heathland environment. these insects keep the soil healthy, they break down organic matter and they are also food themselves for birds and small mammals. it might be tiny but losing it would have a huge impact. the un says there are solutions, though, but we will need a major rethink of how we use land, especially for agriculture. we will also need to consume less, too, if nature is to thrive again. we need to make big change to make this happen. we call it transformational change so really thinking differently about how we live on the planet, and that means household changes and it also means governance changes. the window of opportunity for nature's global rescue plan is small. the un says, if we fail to act, many species will be left fighting for survival.

and rebecca, what more can you tell us about any solutions outlined in this report? the report is bleak but there is still optimism among the experts. what they have done today is a sort of stock—take. we now know how nature is faring around the world and that is badly, but they say we need a big rethink. you cannot take small measures, it isn't about saving the odd species here and there. you need to do things bigger. in terms of land use that is to stop things like deforestation, we have had some success at that already. it is moving towards more sustainable farming methods, overfishing has to stop now. pollution too, we need to do something about that. on a personal level too is where we really need to act. we are a society where overconsumption is a real issue, we live in a throwaway society. we need to eat less meat

and produce less food waste for example, we need to use greener energy and buy less stuff. when you look at it, it is a big societal change they are talking about here with this report, but they say that if we do this we can stop or even reverse some of the losses we are seeing with nature. thanks, rebecca. police searching for a fugitive over the abduction and rape of three women in and around london have arrested a man after the abduction of two other women in cheshire. it's understood joseph mccann was arrested in the early hours of this morning after a car chase and stand—off with police officers. olivia richwald reports from congleton. this is the moment a national manhunt came to an end in rural cheshire. the man being taken into custody isjoseph mccann, who was wanted by police over the kidnap and rape of three women in the london area.

the 34—year—old has been described by police as extremely dangerous. the search for mr mccann moved to the north—west, after two women were forced into the back of a black fiat punto, which hit this vehicle in congleton, yesterday evening. there had been a short police chase before the driver ran off. roads were closed, vehicles were checked, and large numbers of emergency services were brought in. people were told to stay in their homes in congleton as police searched forjoseph mccann. the hunt lasted for several hours with emergency services swarming across the rural area. this rural, affluent part of cheshire became the focus of the manhunt and, after a lengthy search, a man was eventually found hiding up a tree in a ravine behind me. a police negotiator was brought in and he was eventually talked down and taken into custody in the early hours of this morning. the two women who had been kidnapped escaped uninjured but police described them as extremely shaken. the metropolitan police had already issued warnings about mr mccann,

saying they wanted to speak to him about three rapes in watford, edgware and chingford between april 21st and april 25th. he remains in police custody this afternoon. olivia richwald, bbc news, congleton. passengers and crew on board a russian plane that was forced to make an emergency landing in moscow yesterday say it was struck by lightning moments before it crashed. the aeroflotjet burst into flames when it crash landed. 41 of the 78 passengers and crew were killed in the accident. investigators have made no comment on the cause of the crash. from moscow, sarah rainsford reports and her report contains some footage viewers may find distressing. the carcass of aeroflot flight 1192 is lying where it crash landed in moscow. the metal charred and twisted by the ball of fire that tore through this plane, after it hit the tarmac here at sheremetyevo airport. some are calling it a miracle that anyone survived.

the plane had landed at speed, bouncing along the runway before bursting into flames. the pilot had been forced back to the airport, after reporting technical problems on take—off. the plane's fuel tanks were still full. as fire spread from the back, passengers fled the flames from the front on inflatable slides. one of the cabin crew talks about thick black smoke and passengers running for the exit as the plane careered to a halt. she says she shoved a door open with her leg and began pushing people to safety. today, officials have been inspecting the scene, searching for clues to what happened here. investigators say they are looking at the pilot's actions, the state of the plane, and the weather. the pilot himself has said the aircraft was struck by lightning and its electronics failed. all communication with the ground, he says, was cut.

the aircraft was a sukhoi superjet, russia's first new passenger plane since the collapse of the ussr. asked today whether that feat would be grounded for check some would be grounded for checks the transport minister said, simply, there is no need. those who survived this crash landing, like this man, talk of the fierce heat on board. sarah is in moscow now — what's the latest? the focus is very much on that investigation. we know now two of the flight data recorders have been found and they are being studied as people look for clues to the really big questions. there are some big questions still. one for example, if

this plane was hit by lightning as the pilot has said, why did it lead to such catastrophic failure as it seems? another question, was the pilot hero tomb have managed to land this plane at all or were mistakes made that meant this ball of flame didn't have to happen? this fire could have been avoided? then questions about the plane itself. it was meant to be the symbol of has a --... a was meant to be the symbol of has a ——... alot was meant to be the symbol of has a ——... a lot of questions as the investigation goes forward now. at least 55 people have been killed and 30 injured, in an oil tanker explosion in niger. it happened near the airport of the capital city, niamey. niger's head of civil protection said the tanker had tipped over and people were trying to take oil when the blast occurred. the united states has sent an aircraft carrier to the middle east as a warning to iran. in a statement the us national security adviser,

john bolton, said the decision was in response to troubling indications from the region. mr bolton said the us wasn't seeking a war with iran but any attack on the us or its allies would be met with unrelenting force. the electoral commission is calling on the government to change the law to make online political ads clearly state who has paid for those adverts. the call comes as facebook mounts an operation to try to ensure that it's not used to spread misinformation in the upcoming european elections. our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones reports from dublin. a powerfulforce has been streaming through politics. it's a great campaigning tool, but it can be used to spread misinformation or help foreign powers interfere, and facebook‘s shadow looms ever larger over elections worldwide. fake news on facebook... back in 2016, facebook was really downplaying its influence, with mark zuckerberg saying

it was crazy to think fake news had had any influence over the election of donald trump. but now, it's changed its tune. and here in dublin, it's getting ready to mount a big operation to oversee its impact on the european elections. at facebook‘s european headquarters, there's a pr offensive under way, with journalists from across the eu invited to see that the company's serious about battling electoral malpractice on its platform. once we find a piece of content that we want to remove, we have the experts in the room who know our community standards. the ao—strong team here include specialists who've monitored other polls, from the american midterms to brazil's presidential election. but, back in the uk, the electoral commission is impatient for the government to do more. it's been asking since 2003 for a law forcing all online political advertising to be upfront about who's paid. when you see an advert in your facebook news feed, you want to be able to know

there and then — do i believe this advert and does it influence my vote? a really key piece of information you need to make that decision is who's paid for it. across europe, politicians are preparing for battle, knowing that, for good or ill, facebook will be a key weapon in their campaigns. rory cellan—jones, bbc news, dublin. there's been a lull in fighting between israel and palestinian militants in gaza after two days of violence. over the weekend, palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets into israel during a protest against the blockade of gaza, prompting retaliatory air and artillery strikes into the gaza strip. unconfirmed reports say a ceasefire has been agreed. 23 palestinians and four israelis were killed in the fighting. our middle east correspondent tom bateman is in ashdod in southern israel. does it look like there a ceasefire in its holding? it has certainly

been 12 hours or so now since the last of those 700 rockets were fired by militants in the gaza strip towards southern israel here and a similaramount of time towards southern israel here and a similar amount of time since the last of the israeli air strike that took place in waves over the weekend against the gaza strip. it has amounted to one of the worst flare—ups, the most deadly escalations between these sides since they last fought a war in 2014. more than 25 palestinians dead, at least ten of those confirmed to be militants, that is what israel said it was targeting. as for rocket strikes, near unprecedented numbers for a period ofa unprecedented numbers for a period of a couple of days and where we are here now is a point where one of those rockets landed. the shrapnel blasted the building behind us and one man was killed by that shrapnel blast as he tried to escape among four israelis who died. what are the prospects for the days ahead?

ceasefire has been brokered by the united nations by the egyptians, by the qataris and also the european union adding pressure too. what palestinian groups in the gaza strip wa nt palestinian groups in the gaza strip want is an easing of the blockade israel says it imposes for security reasons. israel has consistently demanded calm at the boundary and an end to rocket fire. there have been a series of escalations over the last year, this one was started when a palestinian sniper shot at israeli soldiers on friday but timing may be everything here. it is the start of the holy month of ramadan. in israel there are two holidays next week so everybody wants a lull. people here believe it's only a matter of time until the next escalation. thank you, tom. the kenyan runner eliud kipchoge has announced he will attempt to break athletics' last great barrier — running a marathon in under two hours. the world—record holder's current best is two hours,

one minute and 39 seconds but he has an even faster unofficial time. our sports editor dan roan reports. he is already the fastest marathon runner ever. now, eliud kipchoge is focused on breaking the last great barrier in athletics. running 26 miles in less than two hours is one of sport's mythical targets. but, after his fourth london marathon win, the kenyan told me he wanted to redefine what is possible. when i was approached, i said yes, i want to make history and to leave a mark in this world. it is about humanity. if you can believe it and if you work on it and trusting your team. until sir roger bannister proved otherwise, right here in oxford exactly 65 years ago, breaking the four—minute mile barrier had seemed impossible. since then, various records have fallen in athletics. but the sub—2 hour marathon is still seen as the ultimate challenge. two years ago, kipchoge missed out

by 26 seconds at a specially staged event in monza in italy. it did not count as a world record due to the use of numerous pacemakers. this time i am confident. one thing is that i am enjoying a rich experience from monza. the hope is for london to host the next attempt in autumn. the latest sports venture by sirjim radcliffe. the billionaire's move into cycling has been controversial with protests by environmentalists marring the launch of his cycle team. people will call it just a bit of pr. not really. we don't sell shoes or sports gear. it's almost superhuman really. it is unthinkable for any normal human being to run at that pace. it is quite extraordinary.

but if anybody could do it, he can. kipchoge's attempt will be open to tens of thousands of supporters. hoping that their support will help him push the limits of human performance. last night's line of duty received the biggest tv audience of 2019 so far. more than 9 million people watched the final episode of the fifth series of the drama about a police anti—corruption unit with a peak of 9.6 million. and that figure is likely to increase once catch—up viewing is taken into account. there is more throughout the day on the bbc news channel. the next news is on bbc one at 6:30pm. now

mozilla will miss liverpool's next match. during saturday's 3—2 premier league win at stjames was mike park. managerjurgen klopp trying to overturn a 3—0 deficit without two of the best strikers. we knew that the... liverpool are hoping that manchester city will slip up against leicester. they move clear one point clear of liverpool. leicester still have a bit too playful, though, an outside chance of europa league football next season. they won't

be rolling aside. i cannot imagine the leicester players come here for the holidays, so maybe, they have a chance to finish in the top seven, depends on the result, so at the end, i don't think that's going to happen. they are going to try and make a good game, sure. last year, and this year, the level of the game is at the very highest. a top class team with a who is a real pioneer, for me, for the modern game. a genius, really, in terms of some of the innovations that he has put in place. judd trump will resume injust over half put in place. judd trump will resume in just over half an hour with a 12-5 in just over half an hour with a 12—5 lead overjohn higgins in sheffield. judd trump was in com plete sheffield. judd trump was in complete control last night, and needs just six more frames to win his first title. he was 5—4 down at

one stage, and 18 frames in a row, with some devastating snooker. let's hope he produces more of that later. i have seen some of the studies and snooker. a lot we have seen from ronnie o'sullivan. that was a different type of astonishing. that was horrible. i would hate to be sitting wherejohn was horrible. i would hate to be sitting where john higgins was horrible. i would hate to be sitting wherejohn higgins was. was horrible. i would hate to be sitting where john higgins was. this is one of the most incredible sense sessions i have seen. i think the cloud were a bit overawed. you don't often see that. you don't see that level of play. went back some really impressive stuff. it is live on bbc you can follow —— impressive stuff. it is live on bbc you can follow -- it is live on bbc sport. all the rest of the day's big stories on the website. for now, all for me. more to come later. it's a condition that affects as many as one in 12 boys, but there are fears that many colour

blind children are still not being properly diagnosed, leading to calls for more screening. but it's not all bad news for those with the condition, as technology is helping with job prospects. tim muffet has been to meet the world's first colour blind tube driver. please stand clear and mind the doors. stand clear and mind the doors. i have a colour vision deficiency, more commonly known as colour blindness. it's hard for me to distinguish between red and green. so, you might wonder how alex is allowed to drive a london underground train. until recently, he wouldn't have been, because he could have mixed up red and green signals. it can, you know, halt your career in terms of being a pilot, an electrician, a train driver, obviously. and there should be more awareness and education about it, and maybe look for more solutions. on the jubilee line, that has been possible. the signal is — used to be the lights would be here, and i would have to stop at these lights, but this allows me to completely drive the train without any need for any signalling.

as i'm driving, the yellow box will be pushing up, as the speed indicates, but i can now not go past that red hand. now that we've moved over to more of an automatic operation, we don't actually need our drivers to be able to tell the difference between red and green lights now. we should be looking for ways that we can help people to work, regardless of any issues that they might have been born with. and that's pretty much, on the right—hand side of the screen, how most colour— blind people see the world. so you can see it's pretty murky... along with one in 12 males, marcus is colour—blind. these two colours here, i have difficulty with. i thought this whole side was correct. that's from three years ago, rememberthat? colour blindness happens when colour sensitive cells in the eyes are missing or don't work properly. but the challenges posed

by these genetic fault, which is far more common in men, go way beyond rubik's cubes. i did this worksheet in yeari where you had to colour in the different balloons. obviously, i thought i'd done it right, but i hadn't, and my teacher marked me down for that. if colour blindness is not actually picked up at a very early age, children can be labelled naughty or slow or, you know, unruly. the department of education says it doesn't consider colour blindness a special educational need or disability. marie wants that changed, and for mandatory screenings to take place in all schools. many of the estimated 2.5 million people who have the condition are never diagnosed. sinead agrees. she has two boys who are colour—blind. so many resources now are colour—based, with ipads and all of the printed colour material in the classroom. this has consequences for children, both in terms of their personal self—development and their education. how old are you, flynn?

sinead's children were diagnosed here at the university of newcastle medical school, and while local authorities do deliver eye checks for young children, there is no routine screening for colour blindness. many believe its impact is being overlooked. tim muffett, bbc news. dramatic footage ta ken by a west midlands police helicopter, has shown the moment a car ended up in a river after it was pursued by officers. by a blue unmarked police car, the suspected stolen car plunged after a 10 minute chase into a small river in birmingham, and the occupants fled on foot. three teenagers were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle. it's time for a look at the weather. hello, some showery rain spreading its way south across southern scotla nd its way south across southern scotland and the north of england. it will continue to spread into

parts of north wales, the midlands, and into eastern england. so the north of that, the scotland, and for the south, southern england and south wales, some sunny spells. tending to increase across southern areas later on. a northerly wind making it another chilly day for all of us. temperatures 7— nines assist in the north—east, up to about 12 degrees in southern areas. tonight, this band of rain will continue across northern parts of england. still further showers across scotland. some clear skies in the north—east, some temperatures at or below freezing, otherwise about 5—7 sizes. throughout tuesday, more showers any forecast, but some sun sign, and warmer weather across the south. —— sunshine.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines.

41 people are now known to have been killed when a russian passenger plane caught fire during an emergency landing in moscow. 32 passengers and crew survived. some survivors suggest the plane was struck by lightning. an investigation into the cause is underway. leading scientists call for a world wide rescue plan to prevent losing 1 in 4 of all species and plants. a un report, published in paris, says humans are to blame for the drastic declines. police hunting fugitive joseph mccann over the abduction and rapes of three women in and around london, have arrested a man after the abduction of two other women in cheshire. following a car chase and police searches overnight, it's believed thatjoseph mccann was detained. the electoral commission calls for a change in the law to make online political adverts clearly state who has paid for them. it comes as facebook attempts to stop the spread misinformation in the european elections.

coming up later this hour we'll have the film review but first — alex capstick presents a special programme on the impact of tra nsgender athletes competing in women's sport in —transgender: identity and sport. it's a dispute which is dividing sport, is the integrity of female competition at risk or is the inclusion of trans athletes a basic human right which everyone should accept? if there is a role out there that the governing body lays down and you adhere to the rules at tells they have done their due diligence. the rules allowing trans females to compete against other women are based on testosterone but somebody that does not go far enough. based on testosterone but somebody that does not go far enoughm based on testosterone but somebody that does not go far enough. it is a male body against a female body and the science is there and tells us

that performance gap is huge. the science is there and tells us that performance gap is hugem the science is there and tells us that performance gap is huge. is it possible trans women could take over female sport? transgender women have been competing in sports for decades and they are not dominating the podge of at the olympics. finding a solution is proving aerial headache. we wa nt solution is proving aerial headache. we want people to compete but also wa nted we want people to compete but also wanted to be fair so we need to sort out soon. in the foothills of the colorado rockies and elite athlete enjoys the freedom of the open road. but gillian's cycling career has been farfrom gillian's cycling career has been far from easy. she gillian's cycling career has been farfrom easy. she is transgender. after a long struggle with her identity she now competes as a woman. it started at an early age,

since i could remember i thought the feelings of me not feeling normal in my own body. i tried to come out throughout the years, and suppressed it by taking antidepressants. i did that for a number of years to try to cope with the feeling inside me. she found refuge in cycling but after transitioning she thought she would have to give it up. then the international olympic committee relaxed its rules on transgender athletes stop the requirement for reassignment surgery was dropped and she was free to compete against women as long as she took hormone therapy to reduce testosterone. women as long as she took hormone therapy to reduce testosteronelj didn't therapy to reduce testosterone.” didn't think i would ever cycle again, not in a race. one of the best days of my life is healing that the rules had changed and once i

heard that i felt there could be a glimpse of hope of me competing again. more than 2000 kilometres north—west of colorado as the city of portland in oregon. we went there to meet a medical expert, trans athlete and ioc adviserjoanna harper. her dayjob is treating cancer patients and she also conducts her own independent research which has played a significant role in determining the rules of trans—athletes. much of your research is based on the advantages of testosterone. your research is based on the advantages of testosteronem your research is based on the advantages of testosterone. it is the primary difference between male and female athletes, not the only one but the number one most important factor in differentiating male athletes from female. the ioc

have known that but identity data i had showed how much difference it can make an transgender athletic performance and if they enacted testosterone —based rules transgender women would not be taking over women's sports. gillian was happy to comply with regulations and in 2016 she made her debut in the female category. it was an amazing day and i remember at the start line with 30 other women i had tea rs start line with 30 other women i had tears coming out of my eyes. the race in general wasjust tears coming out of my eyes. the race in general was just as tough as anything else. testosterone blockers do anything else. testosterone blockers d o exa ctly anything else. testosterone blockers do exactly that. most people think trans—women should not be allowed to compete against biological females that you have an unfair advantage. why do you think you should be allowed to take part in these competitions? if there is a rule at the other that the governing body lays down and you adhere to the

rules it tells that they have done their due diligence. as you are confident that can creates a level playing field. i do, absolutely. we're just playing field. i do, absolutely. we'rejust mimicking playing field. i do, absolutely. we're just mimicking what a biologicalfemale had her whole life and matching that. but gillian still faces resistance in pursuit of her sport for people who think trans—athletes sport for people who think tra ns—athletes and especially sport for people who think trans—athletes and especially trans women should be barred from competition. the debate intensified following a recent comments amongst them britain's's sian davies who was critical of the guidelines.“ them britain's's sian davies who was critical of the guidelines. if you go through puberty as a young male you come out the other side with all the benefits of a larger heart and public other and stronger and have more testosterone which widow given your muscle memory, more red blood cells and denser bone structure,

these will all stay with you. they are part of your dna. tennis great martina navratilova, the of transgender women and elite competition ensign and cheating for which she later apologised. the hypersensitive nature despite many current athletes are reluctant to speak out. british cyclist victoria hoodis speak out. british cyclist victoria hood is an exception.” speak out. british cyclist victoria hood is an exception. i don't think it's fair, even with guidelines as they are at the moment if a male bodied athlete reduces has testosterone levels to 12 months and is eligible to compete i don't think that does enough to eliminate a male advantage. at the end of the day it isa advantage. at the end of the day it is a male body against a female body and the science is there and tells us that performance gap is huge. but

people who argue against transgender athletes competing have been accused of ignoring their human rights and being transform it. i see that and i don't want it to be the case that people cannot do sport, but sport has to be fair. transgender athletes, women must keep their testosterone below a certain level, you assign your not comfortable with that? no, because they are born male and that body goes through puberty with that influx of testosterone which shapes their body. just by lowering that testosterone for 12 months is not going to eliminate performance advantage. yes there are absolutely advantages that transgender women have even after her one therapy, specifically

transgender women on average are taller, bigger and stronger than cis gender or other women. that is an advantage in any sport. however we allow advantages and sport. for instance be allowed left—handed fences to compete against right—handed even though left—handed fencers have right—handed even though left—handed fence rs have notable right—handed even though left—handed fencers have notable advantages in the sport. we do not allow overwhelming advantage, for instance heavyweight boxers to get into the ring with lightweight boxers. there would be nothing meaningful about that sort of competition, the big box of wins every time. the question isn't do trans women have advantage, the important question is can transgender women and such in the roman compete against one another in meaningful competition? campaigners for women in sport argue that is impossible. nicola volumes runs an

organisation called fair play for women. we have a situation where a girl if she developed and trained on testosterone she would be called a cheat. it would be doping and she would be banned from competition yet we also now have these rules where a male bodied person can naturally develop and train on testosterone and it would not be because cheating because of the rules allow it. that is not fair. although there may be a very good reason, other reasons why b might why some transgender people might want to compete against women it doesn't make it fair and it is just a fact that they have a performance advantage and we need to find creative solutions for letting them compete but that must not involve opening up the female category to male bodied people.”

involve opening up the female category to male bodied people. i am a runner, triathlete and the first trans—man to make the men's us national team. chris is seen as a role model and the trans—committee, once a woman he now competes as a man and questions the general presumption of male dominance in sport. i dispute the whole idea of people inherently having advantage in sport because of their sex. we know that is a great variety of ability and size and strength and bone density within each six and for us to assume someone is bone density within each six and for us to assume someone is not competitive with men be more competitive with men be more competitive against women is just flat out wrong. we do not disseminate against a very tall players in the nba, that is an advantage they have. we didn't discriminate against michael phelps because of his extremely large

wingspan and ability to process lactic acid, that was an advantage he had admitted one of the greatest, the greatest swimmer in the world. transgender women have been competing in sports for decades and the abbott dominating the podium at the abbott dominating the podium at the olympics, not dominating the podium at local races. occasionally in an athlete will excel because they are good, not because they are transgender. the issue has posed difficult questions for sports governing bodies. new guidance is expected from the international olympic committee which are striving to find a balance between his promise of inclusivity whilst assuring fair play. we went to the ioc headquarters to quiz the man responsible for shaping global sports quality on trans—athens. responsible for shaping global sports quality on trans—athensm is important for all athletes that we get a resolution to this as agreed as it can be amongst the breadth of stakeholders where there

are these extremes of view but most of us are somewhere in the middle very wa nt of us are somewhere in the middle very want people to be able to compete but also wanted to be fair. i think we need to sort it out soon. there is a sense of urgency because next years there is a sense of urgency because next yea rs games there is a sense of urgency because next years games in tokyo could feature the first openly trans—olympic feature the first openly tra ns—olympic athletes. feature the first openly trans-olympic athletes. where the real argument starts when you get to sniffing competition like international championships, there is discussion but i think it is currently premature to several be another event for tra nsgender athletes. sports struggles are not confined to transgender athens, caster semenya has been described as intersex lost her case ethical to an arbitration for sport and must now know her levels of natural testosterone if she wants to compete against other women. it is a decision which will have a much wider impact. the imf rule says

intersex ethics will be set back and there is no doubt the ioc will quickly follow for transgender athletes as well and we will have a consistent ruling of intersex and transgender athletes being consistent ruling of intersex and tra nsgender athletes being limited to five per later. not all trans things agreed to follow the rules. molly is one and it means the events she enters our against men.” molly is one and it means the events she enters our against men. i grew asa punk she enters our against men. i grew as a punk and my idols when i think about transitioning and becoming a woman all my idols where these dykes with short haircuts and usually more androgynous and that was the kind of vision of myself, i did have a plan ora vision of myself, i did have a plan or a template but that is what i identified with. after transition

molly started racing against women but stopped after local organisers received a series of complaints. they wanted molly to hand over personal medical information, she refused. i was not ok with me providing this medical input to you, this amateur bicycle racing association, i am this amateur bicycle racing association, iam not this amateur bicycle racing association, i am not ok with how this is going down and the said we have to deny you you cannot participate in women's races. ok, i can try racing in men's races because i just wanted can try racing in men's races because ijust wanted to race my bike. since then molly has never competed against women and there are those who believe that should apply to all trans female athletes. the argument blew up last october when canada's rachel mckinnon became the first known tra ns—woman canada's rachel mckinnon became the first known trans—woman world champion in any sport which sparked a fierce exchange on social media.

the charge nature of the row has fronted many to think twice before raising their concerns. there is just a feeling that if you say anything, speak out all of a sudden you are not being inclusive on who are transforming and it is not about being inclusive, it is about what is fairand being inclusive, it is about what is fair and what is fairfor women being inclusive, it is about what is fair and what is fair for women and girls. i know some of the women and they did not say anything bad, they just said they thought it wasn't fairand just said they thought it wasn't fair and they got absolutely hounded and bullied into almost apologising, they were not allowed to say it wasn't fair. amid all the noise the sports authorities are considering their next move. we have listened to female voices and human rights and experts in the scientific experts and athletes themselves have a very important voice in this so it is very important that everybody has had input and also