World Triathlon’s Executive Board has approved a Transgender Policy. This follows a period of consultation with its… ‘Medical Committee, Athletes Committee, Coaches Committee, Legal & Constitution Committee, Women’s Committee and the Equality, Diversion & Inclusion Commission, as well as multiple experts in the field and the transgender community.’
The policy, which will be put in place in 30 days’ time, states… ‘To compete in the female category in an elite or age-group triathlon competition, a transgender athlete must demonstrate that the concentration of testosterone in the athlete’s serum has been less than 2.5 nmol/L continuously for a period of at least 24 months.
‘Also, at least 48 months must have elapsed since the transgender athlete has competed as a male in any sporting competition.’
The policy does tighten rules for trans women seeking to compete in female triathlon events, with lower concentrations of testosterone required to be present for two years rather than one.
World Triathlon’s Transgender Policy does allow racing opportunities for trans women in elite or age-group triathlon. The stance by the international federation is counter to that of some other sports. For example, FINA has recently barred trans women from competing in female competitions.
The World Triathlon Transgender Policy was approved by the majority of the World Triathlon Executive Board, with votes against made by Vice President Ian Howard and President of the Athletes Committee Tamas Toth.
“We have been studying this matter for over a year; we have listened to the voices of all World Triathlon stakeholders, and I can only thank all the committees and commissions for the detailed work carried out by them to inform this policy,” said World Triathlon President and IOC Member, Marisol Casado.
“We are a small international federation, but one that has always had inclusion and gender balance in our DNA. The policy that we have just approved shows that we are prioritizing the fairness principle but showing inclusiveness. It is fully aligned with the IOC’s recommendation, and similar to what other international federations have done in the last months.
“We will of course monitor the situation and the evolution of this policy, and we are open to reviewing and discussing it as much as necessary over time, as this subject is still evolving and we need to be flexible.”
Among the groups consulted in the past month by World Triathlon are: sport scientists including Emma Hilton, Yannis Pitsidalis and Ross Tucker; university experts including Dr Roger Pielke Jr, Dr Alun Willims and Dr Ada Cheung; IOC human rights expert Madeleine Pape; IOC advisor Daniel Berezowsky, and transgender athletes including Joanna Harper, Chris Mosier, Rachel McBride, Verity Smith, Patty Actually, Annie Lieberman and Veronica Ivy.
