2023-10-14 19:35:52
Sant Feliu de LlobregatAfter gaining promotion to the Women’s League 2 with CEEB Tordera Uni Girona, Kendall Martin, a native of Blanes, was forced to give up the new category and ended up signing for the second team of Barça CBS , who plays in the Copa Catalunya, the Fifth Division of state basketball. The Spanish Federation (FEB) did not validate the registration of the trans player and the Girona club is still waiting for the response from the Superior Sports Council (CSD).
Martin can play in the Copa Catalunya, as it is a competition organized by the Catalan Basketball Federation (FCBQ), which is governed by the sports law. As happened last season, when she defended the shirt of CEEB Tordera Uni Girona, the trans player was able to process the license with complete normality, certifying her gender with the relevant ID.
Barça CBS is co-leader of the Copa Catalunya, where they have won all three games played. Martin has played in two of the three games. The 18-year-old player was not included in the debut against Catalunya Telecom GEIEG B (57-40), but did participate in the following two matches. On the Reus Ploms Salle court (46-51), he scored 20 points in 16 minutes. Against Petropinto Asfe (47-58) he added 18 in 19 minutes.
“A reference for many people”
Despite not being able to participate in the promotion phase, CEEB Tordera Uni Girona had Kendall for this season. In fact, on August 1, he announced his continuation. “Kendall renews for another year with CEEB and will continue to bring her explosiveness to the women’s first team. We couldn’t be happier to have you, Kendall,” the club announced. A few weeks later, once it was verified that neither the Spanish Federation allowed to activate its license nor the Superior Sports Council moved the card, on October 7 the entity announced its disassociation with the following statement: “La Kendall, who she arrived last season at the club, she is finally forced to stop playing with us and continue her path in a new club [el CBS Barça] and in a category where he is allowed to play and continue to enjoy basketball. We wish you the best in this new adventure. We are sure that you have been a reference for many people, we have learned a lot from you and we will continue to fight to make this world a little fairer. Hopefully we can see you wearing green very soon. Tordera will always be your home!”
Last season was already an obstacle course for Martin, who during the summer defended the jersey of the Panthers 3×3. “Kendall is just a girl who wants to play basketball and she had a bad time. The locker room made a lot of noise with her. Her teammates were modern girls, and they didn’t understand the situation. When we regularized her documentation, the Catalan Federation allowed her to play the second round. The surprise was that when we proclaimed ourselves champions of Catalonia and had to play the promotion phase, the FEB did not let us register it on the recommendation of the International Federation (FIBA),” she recalls Marc Delemus, coach of CEEB Tordera Uni Girona.
Everything went very quickly and the Catalan team was forced to compete in the promotion phase in Malaga without Kendall. Despite his relegation, the Maresme team secured a place in the Women’s League 2 completing a major final stretch of the season. “We understand that there is a legal gap. We spoke with a law office and we think that the situation does not comply with the law. We made a request to the Superior Sports Council, from which we are still waiting for the resolution. Prohibiting- to play, we are curtailing her freedoms and her rights. Why can’t she play sports? We are not talking about results, but about playing sports. It is inadmissible, a very unfair situation,” explains Delemus.
The response from the rivals has been very positive. “It’s something that makes me very proud of the world of basketball. No rival bench, no player, no fan made an inappropriate comment. Fortunately, the atmosphere of basketball is not that of football. In fact, many rivals have spoken to her to encourage her. I told Kendall and her teammates to protect themselves from entering social networks, which can be very cruel. A lot of barbarism has been said,” analyzes the coach.
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