As I’m sure you are aware, last season, there were several debates regarding transgender athletes and competitive sport. By the close of the season, we had not received any clear guidance from England Athletics.
This year, EA have announced that they will be following the UKA policy. Please see below the EA statement on eligibility taken from the England Athletics Website:
England Athletics, along with the other Home Country Athletics Federations, previously confirmed support of UKA’s position on protecting the female category in athletics. England Athletics is aligned with the position of UKA in relation to transgender eligibility as outlined in its Principle Statement published today.
England Athletics will, from midnight on 31 March 2023, apply the World Athletics Transgender Regulations and the World Athletics Eligibility Regulations for the Female Classification (Athletes with Differences of Sex Development) (“World Athletics Female Classification Regulations”) to all athletics competitions and events for which it grants a licence, subject to the following transitional arrangements set out in the Principle Statements published today by UKA.
- Any transgender athlete who has already entered a competition or event in the category that is not their biological sex having complied with the 2021 UKA Policy will remain eligible to compete in that event but may not accept any prize and their results will not count towards any record, qualifying time or mark, or team scoring. For example, a transgender woman athlete who has entered the female category in an event based on the proper application of the testosterone suppression requirements set out in the previous World Athletics Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes will remain eligible to compete but will not be eligible to receive a prize/ money or set a record or qualifying mark or count towards team scoring.
- The World Athletics Transgender Regulations and World Athletics Female Classification Regulations will not apply to local School events other than Home Country National School Championships and those events where athletes can qualify for Home Country National School Championships.
- In Northern Ireland, the World Athletics Female Classification Regulations will not apply to local School events other than the Ulster Schools Championships and those events where athletes can qualify for the Ulster Schools Championships.
England Athletics will continue to work with UKA and the other home countries to consider any changes to categories of competition, including the potential option of changing the current male category to an open category that has been discussed previously.
We will provide further information and FAQs in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if any athlete, coach, official, club volunteer, parent or competition provider wishes to raise a concern or requires any further information, please contact Harry Stow, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability Manager at England Athletics, via hstow@englandathletics.org
As the league follows EA policy, this will also apply to the North Staffs Cross Country League until such time that policy changes. So therefore the male category will be reclassified as an open category to allow the league to be as inclusive as we can whilst following the guidance from our sports governing body.
Regards
Simon Bromley
Chair – North Staffs Cross Country League
