Behind Bich Tuyen's withdrawal from the world volleyball tournament: Potential risks

Bich Tuyen is determined.

Vietnamese volleyball has been the focus of sports newspapers in the past week. At the U21 World Cup, the Vietnamese youth team had their wins and losses reversed in a series of matches. According to the International Volleyball Federation, the team's athlete Dang Thi Hong violated her competition qualifications. Up to now, when the tournament ended, Dang Thi Hong has not received a decision from the global volleyball governing body. The risk that she will not be able to participate in many official tournaments in the near future is entirely possible.

The Vietnam Volleyball Federation immediately filed a complaint to demand justice for the young female athlete mentioned above. But the response to Vietnam's request was a disappointing silence from the International Volleyball Federation. Not only that, the regulations surrounding the national team world championship held in Thailand from this organization continued to make things difficult for Vietnam. This was also the reason why Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, the number 1 star of the Vietnam women's volleyball team, resolutely refused to participate in the world tournament at the last minute.

The “ace” of Vietnamese women’s volleyball at major tournaments in the past two years explained her choice on her personal Facebook page. In it, the Vinh Long native affirmed that she did not lack the desire to compete but was related to the new regulations from the International Volleyball Federation regarding the participation conditions of athletes.

For Tuyen, sports are not only about competition but also about respect and equality. “Tuyen believes that every athlete deserves to compete in a fair environment,” she emphasized. To protect her own integrity and avoid unnecessary risks for the team, Bich Tuyen made the decision to withdraw after careful consideration.

Thin Line and Potential Danger

Both prominent cases involving Vietnamese volleyball in the past week have not specified the exact and official reasons for not or banning from competition. According to Thai and Indonesian newspapers, the origin of the incident is related to gender, which is a sensitive topic in sports.

It must be admitted that over the past 2 years, Bich Tuyen has often been the focus of gender discrimination. Writer Preechachan Wiriyanupappong of the Asian Volleyball Federation news site once used the phrase "man like" to talk about Bich Tuyen's performance at the 31st SEA Games. In response to public backlash, the Thai journalist was forced to write an article apologizing to the Vietnamese player. After the regional conference, Bich Tuyen was even required by the main sponsor of the 2023 National Championship - Duc Giang Chemical Cup to undergo a gender test before being allowed to compete. She, her team, and the Vietnam Volleyball Federation of course did not accept this. The Organizing Committee was forced to give in and agree to let Bich Tuyen participate, before she shone brightly at the tournament.

However, that will not happen in the upcoming world tournament. The Vietnam Volleyball Federation and the Vietnamese women's team are powerless against the regulations described as unfair and lacking transparency from the world organization. As a result, the Vietnamese team has lost an excellent athlete. Vietnamese volleyball also faces the risk of losing Bich Tuyen's service in many upcoming tournaments, if this organization cannot protect and maintain the trust of the athletes, in response to the requests from the World Volleyball Federation or the tournament's Organizing Committee.

Expanding the scope of international sports, many sports such as athletics, swimming, boxing have also had similar controversial and sensitive precedents. In 2025, after winning the gold medal at Paris 2024 under the protection of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), boxer Khelif was again required by World Boxing (WB) (the new federation recognized by the IOC) to conduct a mandatory gender test using PCR to find the SRY gene (the gene that determines human masculinity).

World Athletics (WA), the governing body for athletics, has banned transgender women who have gone through male puberty since 2023 and tightened conditions for athletes with DSD (Disorders of Sex Development), requiring testosterone levels below 2.5 nmol/L for 6 months. In July 2025, WA continued to pass regulations on “once in a career” SRY gene testing for all athletes wishing to compete in the women’s category, applicable from September. Women’s football has also witnessed the case of striker Barbra Banda. The Zambian player was eliminated from the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations for failing to meet CAF’s testosterone criteria, before returning for the 2023 World Cup. The African Football Confederation has so far not clearly announced the testing process, creating doubts about its consistency and transparency.

“Each federation in each sport will have regulations on standards for evaluating athletes’ qualifications based on gender. Due to sensitivity, normally, these standards or decisions will not be announced,” said biomedical expert Le Tue Dang.

“From the perspective of sports federations, they want to create a fair playing field for sports that revolve around female athletes. But there is no absolute fairness. The line between identifying an athlete as purely female or having changes towards male characteristics is very fragile. Sometimes, we have to accept the game as it is. What is fair to one person may not be fair to another athlete.”

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/phia-sau-viec-bich-tuyen-rut-lui-khoi-giai-bong-chuyen-the-gioi-rui-ro-tiem-tang-i778860/