Transgender women to be banned from playing in most domestic female competitions

Transgender women will beryllium banned from playing successful the female class successful astir home tennis competitions successful Britain from adjacent month.

Current Lawn Tennis Association rules let players to aforesaid place but, from January 25, 2025, trans women and non-binary individuals assigned antheral astatine commencement will only beryllium allowed to compete successful the antheral class successful Specified competitions.

These see leagues and tournaments successful tennis and padel involving players from different clubs and venues, from the nationalist championships down to section level.

Intra-venue events, specified arsenic nine championships and societal tournaments, person been designated Non-specified and it will beryllium up to individual venues to determine their ain policy.

The LTA does not person jurisdiction complete world events specified arsenic Wimbledon aliases ATP, WTA aliases International Tennis Federation tournaments, truthful this argumentation will only use to home tennis.

Currently, trans women are allowed to compete successful the female class successful WTA and ITF events providing they meet restrictions connected testosterone levels.

The LTA has made opening tennis up to each sections of nine its halfway strategy but cited physiological antheral advantages, including longer levers and accrued cardio-vascular capacity, for its alteration successful policy.

“It is clear that tennis and padel are gender-affected sports – the mean man has an advantage erstwhile playing against the mean woman,” publication a statement.

“The existent wide consensus, including the conclusion of the reappraisal carried retired by the Sports Councils Equality Group, is that this advantage is apt to beryllium retained to a important grade successful trans women, making title perchance unfair.

“We are changing our argumentation to restrict trans women and non-binary individuals assigned antheral astatine commencement from playing successful the women’s class successful Specified, inter-venue, competitions.

“We want to promote section venues to guarantee that they are arsenic inclusive arsenic imaginable for trans and non-binary individuals, providing opportunities to compete successful a friends environment. In statement pinch this, our ain Local Tennis Leagues merchandise (largely played successful parks) will stay afloat inclusive.”

The caller argumentation is the consequence of an 18-month process involving consultation pinch affected groups and different sports, and the LTA pledged to reappraisal the argumentation going forward.

“We recognise the diverseness of sentiment astir this matter and would for illustration to guarantee the tennis organization that the LTA will proceed to perceive to each views and support the argumentation nether reappraisal successful consequence to emerging investigation and data, and further guidance from different applicable bodies,” the connection concluded.