The British Cycling Federation has decided to suspend its policy regarding the participation of transgender and non-binary riders, a week after Emily Bridges was declared ineligible to compete in the National Omnium Championships by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) . Bridges, who started hormone treatment last year, was allowed to participate after showing that her testosterone levels had been reduced to the required level.
British Cycling Federation regulations, updated in January and now suspended, required riders to demonstrate low testosterone levels for twelve months prior to competition. But the UCI had barred Bridges from competing, considering she was not yet eligible to compete in women’s competitions.
The initial decision to allow the transgender cyclist to compete sparked controversy, with other sportswomen threatening to boycott the race. UK Olympic cycling program chair Sara Symington co-signed a letter to the UCI earlier in the week in which she criticized the body’s current policy on the inclusion of transgender athletes. The rules of the UCI do not guarantee, according to the signatories of the letter, a fair competition between the riders.
“While the current rules were created after extensive internal and external consultation, revising them will give us even more time to engage with stakeholders, including women, transgender and non-binary communities, as we do our best to as possible to give everyone in our sport the clarity and understanding they deserve,” the British FA said in a statement. “The Federation remains committed to transgender and non-binary people to welcome and support them in the cycling community, the suspension (of the regulations) does not change their inclusion in out-of-competition activities”, adds the Federation.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson jumped into the debate over the weekend by saying people born male should not be allowed to participate in women-only events. In response to the UK Federation’s decision to suspend its policy, Bridges’ mother, Sandy Sullivan, reacted on Twitter: “Dropped by email. We just received this in our inbox. We will be releasing a release within the next 24 hours. »