It is no longer possible for transgender people in rugby to participate in international competitions. The International Rugby Union (IRL) announced the news today, along with the FINA Swimming Federation, which decided the day before to exclude trans women.
Rugby union is responding to a request from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which announced the guidelines last year and asked federations to set up their own “sport-specific” rules.
The FINA decision has sparked a heated debate between fierce supporters of the rights of the mutant to compete freely and opponents who claim they have an unfair physiological advantage.
This is also the view of the Rugby League, which wants to prevent trans women from having more power than women with exclusion. This would give them an unfair advantage over the competition.
Announcing the International Rugby League means transgender people are banned from participating in the World Cup in England in November. Rugby union is currently working on a policy for transgender people by 2023.
Sebastian Coe, president of the World Association of Athletics Federations, said athletics could follow swimming and may also opt for a stricter policy.
“My responsibility is to protect the integrity of women’s sport and we take that very seriously,” he said. “If it means changing protocols in the future, we will.”
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