Transgender cyclist is banned from competing
TRANSGENDER cyclist Emily Bridges has been banned from competing until further notice after British Cycling suspended its rules relating to the gender of riders.
Her mother Sandy Sullivan claimed her daughter had been “dumped by email” and vowed: “We will take action.Appropriate action.”
The change of heart to transgender riders by the body in charge of UK cycling comes after Boris Johnson said he did not believe “biological males” should compete in female events.
Bosses said they decided to suspend their Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy, pending a review, as it clashed with the approach of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – the sport’s global governing body.
Ms Bridges, 21, had been due to compete in her first women’s event at the National Omnium Championships in Derby last Saturday – but British Cycling officials said the UCI told them she would not be eligible.
British Cycling said it would include women, transgender and non-binary representatives in its review.
The Prime Minister said this week: “I don’t think biological males should be competing in female sporting events. Maybe that’s a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible.”
He added: “It doesn’t mean I’m not immensely sympathetic to people who want to change gender, to transition...and it’s vital we give people the maximum love and support in making those decisions.”
Female competitors of Ms Bridges had held talks about boycotting the championships in protest against UCI
rules, which state that trans women are required to lower their testosterone to five nanomoles per litre for a year.
Some cyclists claim it does not prevent anyone who has undergone male puberty from having a major advantage.
Ms Bridges began hormone therapy last year to reduce her testosterone levels, having set a national junior men’s record over 25 miles in 2018.
She said in a statement on April 1: “No one should have to choose between who they are and participating in the sport that they love.
“I have provided both British Cycling and UCI with medical evidence that I meet the eligibility criteria for transgender female cyclists, including that my testosterone level has been far below the limit prescribed by the regulations for the last 12 months.”
She added: “Despite the public announcement, I still have little clarity around their finding of my ineligibility under their regulations.”
In November, the International Olympic Committee said that athletes should not be excluded from competition on the grounds of a perceived unfair advantage due to their gender.
But the officials stopped short of issuing regulations that defined eligibility criteria.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics Games in Tokyo last year.
US swimmer Lia Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania last month became the first transgender National Collegiate Athletic Association champion in Division I history after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle race.