That the Parliament congratulates former Olympian, Sharron Davies, on being nominated for a peerage in the House of Lords; notes that as a teenager, Sharron represented Great Britain at the highest level as a swimmer at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, as well as the 1978 Commonwealth Games; understands that Sharron retired from elite competitive sport at the age of 18, returning to competition between 1989 and 1994, and has since pursued what it considers is a hugely successful media career, working as a sports commentator and television presenter; acknowledges what it sees as Sharron’s extensive campaigning to protect women’s sport from biological males being able to compete in the female category through self-ID, including the publication in 2023 of her book, Unfair Play, on women’s rights in the sporting world; believes that Sharron has repeatedly raised her head above the parapet to advocate not only for safety and fairness in women’s sport, but to champion the sex-based rights of women and girls in Scotland and across the UK; notes reports that Sharron’s campaigning has been influenced by the injustice that she experienced at the 1980 Olympics, when, it understands, the competitor who won the Gold medal ahead of Sharron later admitted that she had been given male sex hormones; believes that Sharron will be an excellent addition to the House of Lords, bringing significant experience to bear, and wishes her every success as she continues to build on an exceptional career.
Supported by:
Jeremy Balfour, Miles Briggs, Sharon Dowey, Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser, Meghan Gallacher, Dr Pam Gosal MBE, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Rachael Hamilton, Craig Hoy, Liam Kerr, Stephen Kerr, Edward Mountain, Ash Regan, Douglas Ross, Alexander Stewart, Annie Wells, Brian Whittle