UK Athletics wants to prevent transgender athletes from competing in women's category
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Transgender rights became a major talking point in recent months as sports seek to balance inclusivity while ensuring there is no unfair advantage.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON - UK Athletics (UKA) wants the British government to change the law relating to transgender athletes to ensure the women’s category can be reserved for competitors registered female at birth.
It believes that by doing so, there can be fair competition while transgender athletes can compete in an “open” category alongside the men, the governing body said on Friday.
UKA said its hands are tied as it currently cannot prevent transgender athletes from competing in the women’s category unless the government decides on a law change.
Transgender rights became a major talking point in recent months as sports seek to balance inclusivity while ensuring there is no unfair advantage, with LGBTQI advocacy groups saying excluding trans athletes amounts to discrimination.
“UKA believes that efforts should be made to fairly and safely include transgender women in an ‘open’ category, which would replace the current male category, and be open to athletes of all sexes,” it said in a statement on Friday.
“(Efforts should be made to) reserve the women’s category for competitors who were female at birth, so that they can continue to compete fairly.”
But according to the Gender Recognition Act, the body is duty bound to “treat those trans women with a Gender Recognition Certificate as female for all purposes”.
“UKA, therefore, requests that a legislative change is made to extend the sporting exemption,” it added.
“This would enable UKA and other sporting bodies the ability to ensure the women’s category can be lawfully reserved for female competitors.”
The debate surrounding transgender athletes intensified in 2022, when University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion
Swimming’s governing body World Aquatics voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women’s competitions, which led to several other sporting bodies doing the same.
World Athletics said it is consulting with member federations on a proposal that would impose more stringent testosterone limits on transgender women athletes competing in women’s track and field events.
However, UKA said it did not agree with the use of testosterone suppression for transgender women.
“Scientific evidence... is that transgender women retain a testosterone/puberty advantage over biological females regardless of the reduction of post-puberty testosterone levels,” it added.
“There is currently no scientifically robust, independent research showing that all male performance advantage is eliminated following testosterone suppression.”
Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan has also questioned World Athletics’ plans, saying: “Even if there’s a one per cent advantage, then it’s too much of an advantage.”
In 2022, England’s rugby governing bodies restricted transgender participation in the domestic game, recommending that only players recorded as female at birth be allowed to play in the women’s category.
Advocates for transgender inclusion say that there are relatively few trans women athletes and that not enough studies have been done on the impact of transition on physical performance.
REUTERS, AFP
