What happened at the Official Strongman Games? Jammie Booker controversy explored as event organizers revokes her 'World's Strongest Woman' title

Jammie Booker’s victory as the world’s strongest woman has been taken away by the organizers. The athlete received the title at the Official Strongman Games, which ended on Sunday, November 23.

The latest decision stemmed from Booker’s past, which revealed that she was born a man. Insiders for The Times even claimed earlier this month that the International Olympic Committee was reportedly planning to restrict the participation of trans women in any competition.

The Official Strongman Games addressed the issue through their Facebook page. They stated in a lengthy announcement that all points and positions will now be adjusted to ensure that athletes receive the places they deserve in the competition.

“We are disappointed on behalf of all those who fairly and legitimately took part that the attention has been taken away from their efforts which deserve celebration, no matter how they performed or where they finished. We stand with them and stand with fairness,” the organizers said.

As per Mediaite, Andrea Thompson was declared the winner after Jammie Booker was stripped of the title. However, the former allegedly left the podium at that point.

“It appears that an athlete who is biologically male and who now identifies as female competed in the Women’s Open category,” organizers said. “Official Strongman officials were unaware of this fact ahead of the competition and we have been urgently investigating since being informed.”

The organizers wrote that a reply is awaited from the competitor. The organizers mentioned that they would not have allowed Booker to participate if the details had been revealed earlier.

“We are clear - competitors can only compete in the category for the biological sex recorded at birth. Official Strongman is inclusive and proud to run events which do not discriminate against athletes based on personal characteristics. Any athlete is welcome. But it is our responsibility to ensure fairness and ensure athletes are assigned to men or women’s categories based on whether they are recorded as male or female at birth,” the post says.

Jammie Booker responds in an Instagram post: Aftermath of the competition and more explained

The Daily Mail stated that the original result of the competition led to heavy criticism on social media. As per the outlet, Booker had described herself as a trans woman in a YouTube video, which was shared through her channel around eight years ago.

Furthermore, Rebecca Roberts, who previously won the competition, thanked the organizers for their decision to strip Jammie Booker of the title. The former said on Instagram that she had to go through a “lot of heat” for sharing her opinion. Rebecca even clarified that she prefers a fair competition and is not against transgender people.

“Acting now protects the future of the sport we love and have committed our entire lives to. Not just for us today, but for the next generation of women coming behind us. I will continue to use my platform to defend that fairness, even when it’s uncomfortable,” Roberts said.

On the other hand, Jammie Booker replied to the decision through the same platform. She praised everyone who participated in the competition, adding that she had not expected the current situation to arise in any manner.

“When I signed up for this competition I did not expect to win - it was a pipe dream. Obviously everyone enters a competition wanting to win but I did not think this would be the one for me and the fact that it is, I’m genuinely lost for words,” she continued.

The post was shared through Jammie’s Instagram profile, which is now set to private. Meanwhile, sports strength equipment company Iron Ape has severed its ties with Booker due to the ongoing controversy, according to the Daily Mail.