British Cycling made the announcement on Thursday
British Cycling have confirmed that transgender women will no longer be able to compete at female events ran by the organisation after they suspended their current policy.
Transgender women were previously allowed to compete so long as they had testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for a 12-month period before any competition.
Emily Bridges made headlines after she was due to compete in her first female elite cycling event before she was then ruled ineligible by the cycling world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
Bridges had came out as transgender in 2020 and began hormone therapy a year later as part of her treatment for gender dysphoria.
British Cycling supported Bridges and called for a “coalition to share, learn and understand more about how we can achieve fairness in a way that maintains the dignity and respect of all athletes.”
However the governing body have now revealed that they are suspending their current policy with immediate effect and will conduct a full review in the coming weeks.
British Cycling statement | Transgender and Non-Binary Participation Policy: https://t.co/MmWRyGh1sh pic.twitter.com/kzt30T56eq
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) April 8, 2022
British Cycling’s statement
It said: “On Wednesday 6 April the British Cycling Board of Directors voted in favour of an immediate suspension of the current policy, pending a full review, which will be initiated in the coming weeks.
“While the current policy was created following an extensive external and internal consultation, the review will allow us time for further discussion with all stakeholders, including women and the transgender and non-binary communities, as we strive to provide all within our sport with the clarity and understanding they deserve.
“As an organisation we remain committed to ensuring that transgender and non-binary people are welcomed, supported and celebrated in the cycling community, and the inclusion of these groups within non-competitive activities remains unaffected by the suspension.”
The statement then added: “We will also continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our sport remains free of hate, discrimination and abuse in all forms, and that we prioritise the welfare of riders, volunteers, event organisers, commissaires and others that our sport can’t continue without.
“In the past week we have started in earnest our work to galvanise a coalition of organisations to come together to find a better answer, and have enjoyed productive discussions with national governing bodies and others across sport.
“The challenge is far greater than one event or one sport, and only by working together can we hope to find a timely solution, which achieves fairness in a way that maintains the dignity and respect of all athletes.”
British Cycling’s decision follows after Boris Johnson publicly stated that he believes that people born as biological males should not be allowed to compete in biological women’s sports events.
“I don’t think biological males should be competing in female sporting events,” he said, according to the BBC.
“Maybe that’s a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible.”
Related links:
- Trans cyclist Emily Bridges banned from championship after calls for female athletes to boycott
- Boris Johnson says ‘biological males’ should not compete in female sports events
- Joe Rogan accuses trans swimmer Lia Thomas of ‘an assault on women’s sports’
