Canadian trans athlete's controversial women's basketball championship run ends after tournament upset

The Vancouver Island University women's hoops squad mislaid successful the archetypal circular of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association nationalist tourney Wednesday to Mohawk College.

The nonaccomplishment marked the extremity of a arguable title tally for the programme aft a season-long feud with rival Columbia Bible College implicit VIU's transgender player, Harriette Mackenzie. VIU volition proceed playing successful the tourney contempt the loss, competing successful a loser's bracket. 

Mackenzie played a salient relation successful attempting to support VIU's title hopes live Wednesday, starring the squad with 20 points and 17 rebounds. No different subordinate connected VIU's roster registered much than 8 points oregon 5 rebounds. 

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Mackenzie's Instagram relationship besides appeared to beryllium deactivated aft the loss. It had been progressive arsenic precocious arsenic Wednesday morning. 

Mackenzie and VIU declined to remark successful effect to a petition from Fox News Digital. 

Mackenzie was precocious named an All-Canadian for the 2nd clip and led VIU to a PACWEST Tournament triumph implicit CBC, winning tourney MVP honors. Mackenzie was the conference's subordinate of the twelvemonth successful 2023. 

Mackenzie tin instrumentality for different assemblage play due to the fact that the CCAA provides athletes 5 years of eligibility. 

VIU's feud with CBC started during an Oct. 25 crippled betwixt the 2 teams, which VIU won 69-56 aft Mackenzie scored a game-high 19 points. Five days aft that game, the jock posted an Instagram video alleging that CBC caput manager Taylor Claggett "cornered 1 of our diversion unit and went connected a tirade astir however I shouldn’t beryllium allowed to play."

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It was besides alleged Mackenzie was deliberately fouled to the crushed by a CBC player. In response, Claggett posted her ain connection connected Instagram, claiming Mackenzie's statements were inaccurate.

"My volition has thing to bash with a circumstantial athlete, but instead, the information of pistillate athletes successful their sport," Claggett wrote.

VIU past submitted a ceremonial ailment to the PACWEST, prompting an probe against VIU. When the 2 teams were scheduled to play each different again successful 2 games Jan. 10-11, VIU refused to play owed to the alleged incidental from their archetypal meetings. 

"Intimidation, harassment and favoritism person nary spot successful athletics," VIU said successful a connection to Fox News Digital successful January regarding the determination not to play. "VIU stands successful afloat enactment of our student-athletes and affirms the close of each athletes to vie successful an situation that prioritizes their information and well-being."

VIU requested that the 2 forfeits not number arsenic losses connected the team's record, which was granted by the PACWEST. 

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CBC provided a connection to Fox News Digital that play stating "accusations that CBC, its coaches, players and fans are a information menace are simply untrue and misinformed." 

CBC players past condemned Mackenzie successful a missive sent to Fox News Digital. 

CBC players blamed Mackenzie for "personal attacks," "defamatory comments" and adjacent "comments that incite violence" against their coach. 

"Videos and letters posted by members of the VIU women’s hoops squad implicit the past 3 months person straight violated aggregate rules stated successful Article 17.2 of the manual. Various posts person included 'personal attacks,' 'defamatory comments,' 'lack of respect towards the PACWEST' and led to 'comments that incite to unit and/or hatred' directed astatine our coach," the missive stated.

"Any and each allegations made by VIU players regarding our squad and manager should person been straight communicated to PACWEST officials alone, they should not person been uploaded publically to societal media."

The PACWEST suspended Claggett successful aboriginal February, and CBC mislaid its close to big the PACWEST championships aft an probe by the conference. 

Beginning successful June 2017, each places wrong Canada were ordered to comply with the Canadian Human Rights Act, adjacent accidental and/or anti-discrimination authorities prohibiting favoritism against sex individuality oregon sex individuality expression. This instrumentality protects the inclusion of each trans athletes successful women's and girls sports. 

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