Culture Minister Lucy Fraser told Sky News the Football Association should consider banning transgender women from competing in women’s football to remove any “unfair” competitive advantage.
The FA is conducting a review of the policy in an attempt to balance inclusivity in the sport with fairness and safety.
Players over the age of 16 who were assigned male at birth who want to compete in women’s football must demonstrate that their blood testosterone levels “are within the female range at birth for an appropriate period of time to minimize any potential advantage”.
Annual inspection required.
But Ms Fraser told Sky News: “I think it’s really important for women to be able to compete with women, there’s an inherent unfairness in that, if you’re not biologically female you have a competitive advantage.
“I think a lot of sports have looked at this very carefully and made the decision that it’s not appropriate for women to compete against people who are not women.
“We see this in rowing. We see this in swimming. I would encourage other sports bodies to take a closer look at this.”
Image: istock
The FA’s current transgender policy is that “gender identity should not be a barrier to participation in football”, but eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Ms Fraser is discussing transgender policy as football regulators could be asked to intervene if changes to football governance pass parliament.
Asked further whether she urged football to follow other female sports that restrict women’s sports to women at birth, Ms Fraser said: “I would encourage competitive sport to think carefully about this.”
To be decided
The FA had no immediate comment but its chief executive Mark Bullingham said earlier this month they were awaiting a decision from the international football body on any changes to policy.
Mr Bullingham said: “Our policy has been in place for some time. We have made some changes around it.
“But we are also waiting for UEFA and FIFA to take a firm stance before we make any other changes.”
FIFA said it has an internal working group looking into the issue, calling it “work in progress”.
“Complex topic”
“We want the environment to be safe and inclusive. That’s the first priority in all of this. So that’s our first priority,” FIFA interim secretary-general Matthias Grafström said.
“But please keep in mind all the circumstances of this particular subject, it’s a complex subject.”
read more:
Truss ‘furious’ after transgender reform bill blocked
Children no longer taking puberty blockers
JK Rowling accused of ‘grotesque transphobia’
World Athletics decided last year to prioritize sporting fairness over inclusivity by excluding those assigned male at birth from women’s world ranking competitions.
The International Cricket Council also changed its policy last year to state that male-to-female players who have experienced any form of male puberty will be ineligible to play in international women’s matches, regardless of whether they have undergone any surgery or gender reassignment treatment.
Ms Fraser’s deputy Stuart Andrew said in a separate interview they would meet with all sports’ national governing bodies “shortly” to discuss the matter.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
