A review oftransgender inclusion in non-elite sport in the UK by the Sports Councils Equality Group (SCEG) has concluded that current policies need to be reviewed to ensure sports is more inclusive.
The guidance which covers grassroots sport to a national scale, recommends that individual sport administrators must prioritise the topic of transgender inclusivity, and determine safety and competitive fairness, adding that "for many sports, the inclusion of transgender people, fairness and safety cannot co-exist in a single competitive model".
Highlighting the need to encourage greater inclusion in sports, the report stresses that governing bodies develop “innovative and creative ways to ensure nobody is left out” – including that new formats of restructured that can be played safely and fairly by everyone.
It recommends that “sport must be a place where everyone can be themselves, where everyone can take part and where everyone is treated with kindness, dignity and respect”.
The review, which was developed by Sport England, Sport Scotland, Sport Northern Ireland, Sport Wales and UK Sport notes that "testosterone suppression is unlikely to guarantee fairness between transgender women and natal females in gender-affected sports" and there are "retained differences in strength, stamina and physique between the average woman compared with the average transgender woman or non-binary person registered male at birth".
"In order to survive and thrive in the future, sport must adapt to reflect modern society, and that often, it is too slow to do so," the guidance adds.
The review consists of an 18-month independent consultation, including interviews and surveys, involving respondents from 54 sports and 175 organisations.
A note from the chief executives of the sports councils says: "We want this guidance to open up, rather than close down opportunities for everyone, recognising that many other people already feel excluded from sport and physical activity.
The sport councils, in the report also set out ten “guiding principles” for sports to follow, noting that the concept of inclusion across the Equality act is nuanced.
