Martina Navratilova reacts as Boise State Broncos women's volleyball team forfeits against SJSU amid inclusion of transgender player

Martina Navratilova has shown her support for the Boise State Broncos women's volleyball team after it forfeited a game against the San Jose State University team amid the inclusion of transgender player Blaire Fleming. The two teams were poised to lock horns for the semifinal round during the 2024 Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament.

The Boise State Broncos women's volleyball team defeated third-seeded Utah State in four sets to enter the semifinal round. However, the former concluded its season by forfeiting the match. So far, the Broncos women's volleyball team has refrained from facing the SJSU squad twice in the season.

Following the withdrawal, SJSU has received a bye into the final of the Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament. Apart from the Broncos squad, SJSU faced several withdrawals against it this season, including Southern Utah, Utah State, Wyoming, and Nevada. Following Boise State's pullback, Navratilova, the former World No. 1 tennis player in singles and doubles, voiced her resentment:

"It stinks that these athletes, in order to stand up for themselves, have to give up playing. Bravo girls - proud of you."

Kiersten Van Kirk and Katelyn Van Kirk along with other female collegiate volleyball players have filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference and SJSU.

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There's no way to take away the advantage that a male has" - Martina Navratilova on boundaries in women's sports

Martina Navratilova during The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England. (Photo via Getty Images)

Martina Navratilova emphasized the need for separate spaces in female sports last month. During an interview on Politics War Room with James Carville and Al Hunt, the 68-year-old stated that although transgender women should be accepted in everyday life, physical advantages over biological females cannot be ignored in sports:

"When it comes to sports, we have categories, we have rules for a reason. Male bodies, again, are different. And there's no way to take away the advantage that a male has, no matter how they identify. So, by all means, everyday life, acceptance in every which way. But when it comes to female sex-based spaces, which includes sports, then I think we need to put a line there and say, you know, we just really need this space to be female. And that's the end." (52:57 onwards)

Navratilova has frequently been vocal about transgender athletes competing in women's sports.