Cycling Time Trials (CTT) the governing body for time trialling in England, Scotland and Wales has unveiled a new policy for transgender competitors.
CTT has announced that transgender women (those who have transitioned from male to female) will no longer be eligible to ride in female time trialling competitions.
CTT’s purpose is to facilitate and run time trials – where each competitor rides alone against the clock for a set distance or time. The organisation notes that, by its nature, time trialling is a ‘gender affected sport’, which by definition means that the strength, stamina and physique of the average competitor of one gender is different from another.
Following extensive internal work and insight from other sports governing bodies, CTT has made this decision… ‘as it is certain that transgender women can retain the physical advantages gained by a male when going through male puberty, and this does not support a level and fair playing field for competition.’
The organisation emphasises that all transgender persons and non-binary persons are welcome to continue taking part in competitive time trialling. Following in the footsteps of British Cycling, CTT has renamed the male category to ‘Open’. Non-binary persons (persons who affirm that they are neither male nor female) will also be invited to compete in this category.
The new policy means those competing in the female category should satisfy all the following requirements:
- Their sex assigned at birth was female
- They must not have undergone any part of male puberty
- Their testosterone serum level must be below 2.5 nmol/L if tested
The Board of CTT will create a new body – a Gender Tribunal – to decide gender eligibility issues and provide sensitive guidance to those affected by this policy.
Andrea Parish, Chair of Cycling Time Trials (CTT), said “Here at CTT, we are committed to the promotion of inclusivity and a fair competition in sport. This decision underpins these such values and shows our collective support for womens sport.”
