Change law over trans athletes, say sport chiefs

UK Athletics wants a change in the law to ensure the women’s category in sport is reserved for competitors who are recorded female at birth.

The governing body says transgender athletes should be allowed to participate with men in an ‘open’ category.

UKA doesn’t believe the ‘sporting exemption’ introduced in the 2010 Equalities Act allows them to lawfully exclude those who have a Gender Recognition Certificate.

Chairman Ian Beattie said the UKA wanted athletics to be a ‘welcoming environment for all’, but added it had a responsibility to ensure fairness.

According to BBC Sport, the Government disagrees with UKA and believes the Equality Act does allow sports to protect the female category.

In contrast to the UKA, World Athletics wants to continue letting transgender women compete in female events, using testosterone limits as the basis for inclusion. Suppressing testosterone is said to reduce ‘male performance advantage’.