World Netball bans female transgender athletes from women’s international events

Female transgender athletes will not be allowed to compete in international women’s netball, the sport’s governing body has announced.

World Netball said that after a lengthy consultation process it had determined that the sport at international level was a “gender affected activity.” It said it had made the decision to ensure “fair competition” and “the safety of athletes.”

The ban was outlined in World Netball’s new policy on “Participation and Inclusion” that comes into immediate effect.

“Eligibility for International Level Women’s Netball Competition is restricted to those recorded as female at birth irrespective of gender identity and transgender athletes who can establish to WN’s satisfaction that they have not experienced the biological effects of testosterone at any time,” it said. The policy will be reviewed on an annual basis and only applies to international competitions. World Netball is following the example of other international governing bodies such as swimming, track and field, cycling and cricket.