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World Athletics to exclude transgender women from female events
Thursday 23 March 2023 17:21, UK
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World Athletics has decided to exclude transgender women who have gone through male puberty from female events
The body’s president, Lord Coe, said “decisive action” had been taken to “protect the female category in our sport”.
Lord Coe told a news conference in Monaco: “The council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes, who have been through male puberty, from female world ranking competitions from 31 March.
“In January, World Athletics said it was consulting with member federations on a proposal to change the rules on participation of transgender women in female competitions.
“The issue is thorny as sports try to strike a balance between inclusivity and making sure there is no unfair advantage.”
Lord Coe added a working group will be established in order to do further research in transgender eligibility guidelines.
Its remit will be to “consult specifically with transgender athletes to seek views on competing in athletics”.
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The announcement comes after British Athletics called for transgender women to compete with men in an “open category” in February.
The “open” category would replace the current male category, the governing body says – as it demands a law change to preserve women’s events for those who were female at birth.
