World cycling’s governing body adopts rules banning female transgender athletes from women’s events

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body for world cycling, has revealed its decision that female transgender athletes who transitioned after male puberty will no longer be able to compete in women’s races.

Announced yesterday following an extraordinary meeting of its management committee on 5th July the UCI’s change of rules sees it join the governing bodies in track and field and swimming as top-tier Olympic sports addressing the issue of transgender athletes and fairness in women’s events.

The UCI’s decision came after American rider Austin Killips became the first openly transgender woman to win an official cycling event in May.

In a statement the UCI advised “from now on, female transgender athletes who have transitioned after (male) puberty will be prohibited from participating in women’s events on the UCI international calendar - in all categories - in the various disciplines.”

The UCI said the ban, which will start as of Monday, was necessary to “ensure equal opportunities”, noting that it “has 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.”

It also advised of the difficulty to “draw precise conclusions about the effects” of gender-confirming hormone therapy, going on to say “given 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.”

UCI also noted that for international Masters events - races on the UCI Cycling for All International Calendar and UCI events (UCI Gran Fondo World Series, UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, UCI Gravel World Series, UCI Gravel World Championships and UCI Masters World Championships) -, the Men’s category will be renamed Men/Open, and any athlete who does not meet the conditions for participation in women's events will be admitted without restriction.

UCI President David Lappartient, an International Olympic Committee member, emphasised that, despite the ban, “the UCI would like to reaffirm that cycling - as a competitive sport, leisure activity or means of transport - is open to everyone, including transgender people, whom we encourage like everyone else to take part in our sport.”

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