Female transgender athletes who transitioned after male puberty will no longer be able to compete in women鈥檚 races, world cycling governing body the UCI said Friday.
The International Cycling Union joined the governing bodies in and as top-tier Olympic sports addressing in this way the issue of transgender athletes and fairness in women鈥檚 events.
came after American rider Austin Killips became the first openly transgender woman to win an official cycling event in May.
鈥淔rom now on, female transgender athletes who have transitioned after (male) puberty will be prohibited from participating in women鈥檚 events on the UCI international calendar 鈥� in all categories 鈥� in the various disciplines,鈥� the international federation said in a statement.
The UCI said the ban, starting on Monday, was necessary to 鈥渆nsure equal opportunities.鈥�
Killips rode to victory in the fifth stage of the Tour of the Gila, one of the marquee U.S. stage races. Her victory by some cycling fans and former racers despite the 27-year-old athlete having adhered to a policy put in place by the UCI last year requiring transgender athletes to have serum testosterone levels of 2.5 nanomoles per liter or less for at least 24 months before competing in women鈥檚 events.
The UCI said Friday it 鈥渉as taken note of the state of scientific knowledge, which does not confirm that at least two years of gender-affirming hormone therapy with a target plasma testosterone concentration of 2.5 nmol/L is sufficient to completely eliminate the benefits of testosterone during puberty in men.鈥�
It also noted the difficulty to 鈥渄raw precise conclusions about the effects鈥� of gender-confirming hormone therapy.
鈥淕iven the current state of scientific knowledge, it is also impossible to rule out the possibility that biomechanical factors such as the shape and arrangement of the bones in their limbs may constitute a lasting advantage for female transgender athletes,鈥� the UCI added.
In May, the UCI 鈥� led by its French president David Lappartient, an International Olympic Committee member 鈥� said it expected to make a decision in August. The newly expanded world championships are being held from Aug. 3-13 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Instead, a decision which the UCI said in a statement was taken at an additional management board meeting held on July 5 was announced Friday 鈥� Bastille Day in France 鈥� during a key mountains stage in the Tour de France.
Despite the ban, Lappartient said 鈥渢he UCI would like to reaffirm that cycling 鈥� as a competitive sport, leisure activity or means of transport 鈥� is open to everyone, including transgender people, whom we encourage like everyone else to take part in our sport.鈥�
The UCI said its men鈥檚 category will be renamed 鈥淢en/Open鈥� at international Masters events 鈥� which are below elite level for riders aged at least 30 鈥� adding that 鈥渁ny athlete who does not meet the conditions for participation in women鈥檚 events will be admitted without restriction.鈥�
Lappartient insisted the UCI 鈥渇ully respects and supports the right of individuals to choose the sex that corresponds to their gender identity, whatever sex they were assigned at birth. However, it has a duty to guarantee, above all, equal opportunities for all competitors in cycling competitions.鈥�
The UCI follows British Cycling in approving a in May, which included plans to split competitive races into 鈥渙pen鈥� and 鈥渇emale鈥� categories. The female category was to remain for those whose sex was assigned female at birth and for transgender men yet to begin hormone therapy.
Cycling鈥檚 decision closed another competitive route to the 2024 Paris Olympics for transgender athletes. Two years ago, transgender woman competed at the Tokyo Olympics for New Zealand in the women鈥檚 over-87-kilogram class.
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