Rules on trans are ‘in a mess’ across the sporting world
Push for Olympics to show some leadership
TRANSGENDER guidelines across sport are in a ‘mess’, the full extent of which has been laid bare by a survey of the global ruling bodies in The Mail on Sunday. An audit of all 34 federations representing summer Olympic sports threw up disparate responses and revealed fresh calls for the IOC to drop their transgender framework.
The survey also found that several ruling bodies were sticking with their existing policy, despite the International Olympic Committee’s decision to ditch the recommended testosterone limit for women’s sport.
The Rugby Football Union are reviewing their guidelines, which permit trans women to take part in English women’s rugby if they meet their criteria, despite World Rugby recommending that it should not be allowed. The RFU said seven transgender women had undergone a risk assessment and been approved to play.
Other global bodies said they were reviewing their guidelines in the light of the IOC’s position, while at least one, hockey, have sought assistance from the Olympic movement to research the issue sufficiently to draw up their own policy.
The survey follows a tumultuous week in the debate around the issue that began with Nicole Cooke, the 2008 Olympic cycling champion, writing a column in this newspaper in which she called for a separate category for trans women and urged the Government to intervene to ensure fairness for biological females.
A petition signed by elite athletes — which had 652 signatories at the last count — was sent to cycling’s ruling body, the UCI, to change their guidelines following the controversy around British transgender cyclist Emily Bridges.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson then stated that he was broadly opposed to trans women being allowed to compete in the female category. Last week, he said: ‘I don’t think that biological males should be competing in female sporting events. And maybe that’s a controversial thing but it just seems to me to be sensible.’
The row came to a head on Friday when British Cycling said they were suspending their transgender policy. They had previously followed the UCI’s recommendation that, to compete in the female category, a trans woman must suppress her testosterone production to less than five nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months.
Much of the confusion stems from the IOC’s stance. World Triathlon, who also have a 12-month limit of five nanomoles per litre, said they were in the process of reviewing guidelines and would publish them by the end of this month. However, the federation added that they hoped the IOC guidelines would be ‘improved’.
‘We hope that the IOC framework will be improved, considering also the medical/scientific aspect of this matter, and with the cooperation of the international federations/IOC medical committee and the scientific experts in this matter,’ a statement said.
Juergen Steinacker, chair of World Rowing’s Sport Medicine Commission, reiterated the belief that the IOC had overlooked scientists and were instead influenced by human rights groups.
Steinacker has told this newspaper that this had created a ‘mess’ that has led to the controversies around Bridges and the American transgender swimmer, Lia Thomas.
‘I have discussed transgender participation with many female athletes and not one of them supported the idea that a person who has gone through male puberty could start competing against a woman simply by identifying as one. Yet if you follow the IOC’s guidelines on trans inclusion to their logical conclusion, this has now become possible,’ wrote Steinacker.
‘It is of little surprise that elite sport has encountered the controversies around Lia Thomas and Emily Bridges. By prioritising the right of trans women to compete as women, regardless of the effect on female competition, this creates an environment that has led to this mess.
‘Everyone agrees trans men and women should be welcome to compete in sport, but elite sport cannot be inclusive without compromising the rights of women to stand a fair chance of competing for medals. The human rights groups who have influenced the IOC’s framework fail to recognise this fact.’
The RFU said they were undertaking a ‘thorough’ review of their rules around transgender participation after choosing not to adopt World Rugby’s recommendation. The global ruling body have concluded that trans women should not play female contact rugby at international level.
The International Hockey Federation revealed they were in discussions with the IOC to be granted the ‘resources and expertise’ needed to develop their eligibility criteria.
British Cycling suspended their policy after the prospect of Bridges racing against Olympic champion Laura Kenny last weekend sparked great concern within the sport. David Lappartient, the UCI president, told the BBC that cycling’s testosterone limit of 5 nmol/l was ‘probably not enough’ and that Olympic sports would need to address the issue.
Governing bodies representing boxing, golf, hockey and tennis said they were reviewing their guidelines. World Athletics, however, say they remain comfortable with their criteria of 5 nmol/l.
Volleyball’s federation said they were comfortable with eligibility rules that can take into account physiological and sporting criteria, as well as ‘other considerations’.