BBC

8 April 2022

Transgender women no longer able to

compete at elite female events run by
British Cycling
Transgender women are no longer able to compete at elite female events run by
British Cycling after the organisation suspended its current policy.

The previous regulations required riders to have had testosterone levels below five
nanomoles per litre for a 12-month period prior to competition.

British Cycling says it will conduct a full review of the policy "in the coming weeks".

Last month, Emily Bridges was due to compete in her first elite women's race after
meeting the requirements but was later ruled ineligible by cycling's world governing
body, the UCI.

A British Cycling statement said transgender and non-binary athletes could still take part
in non-competitive activities.

It also said it would speak to "all stakeholders, including women and the transgender
and non-binary communities" as part of the review.

"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," the statement read.

"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."

Bridges, 21, began hormone therapy last year as part of her gender dysphoria
treatment, and raced in men's events until February.

She had been due to compete in her first women's event at the National Omnium
Championships.

However, three days beforehand, the UCI told British Cycling that because international
ranking points are allocated at national championship events, Bridges' participation
could only be allowed once her eligibility to race in international competitions was
confirmed. That process is ongoing.

Bridges' mother responded to the decision on social media by saying her daughter

had been "dumped by email". She added they would make a full statement during the
next 24 hours.

The LGBTIQ+ Sport and Physical Activity Alliance, a coalition of national LGBTIQ+
sports organisations, said the decision was "hugely disappointing and will have a
detrimental impact on the welcoming and inclusive environment that the governing body
had been hoping to create in the sport".

British Cycling said it "understood there are concerns" regarding how its policy reflected
the guidance published by the Sports Councils' Equality Group (SCEG) last year.

An 18-month review developed by Sport England, Sport Scotland, Sport Northern

Ireland, Sport Wales and UK Sport concluded "testosterone suppression is unlikely to
guarantee fairness between transgender women and natal females in gender-affected
sports".

It said that "for many sports, the inclusion of transgender people, fairness and safety
cannot co-exist in a single competitive model".

That guidance applies to transgender inclusion in non-elite sport.

A group of elite female cyclists wrote a letter to the UCI, calling on it to "rescind" its rules
around transgender participation.

UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday said on Thursday she had "huge empathy" for
both Bridges, who said she had been "harassed and demonised" over the past week,
and her fellow competitors.

Munday added UK Sport was looking to support "everybody who is involved in this
discussion".

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week he did not believe transgender
women should compete in female sporting events - a view he conceded might be
"controversial".

In response, LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall said: "Trans people deserve the same
opportunities as everyone else to enjoy the benefits of sport, and blanket exclusions on
trans people participating are fundamentally unfair."