The Football Association of Great Britain has announced it is “carefully reviewing” its policy on transgender inclusion following a UK Supreme Court ruling earlier this month.
Ahead of the decision, the Football Association issued an update to its policy allowing transgender women to participate in women's football provided they have reduced testosterone levels, but added a formal procedure allowing the governing body to exercise its discretion to refuse or disqualify players from participating due to safety or fairness concerns.
However, it was confirmed that the policy is currently under review again.
An FA spokesman said: “We are carefully reviewing our policies and considering legal advice.”
The Scottish Football Association has reportedly updated its policy so that only those born female will be able to participate in women's and girls' football aged 13 and above next season.
The Supreme Court's April 16 ruling clarified the terminology used in the Equality Act. The court found that section 195 of the Act, which allows athletes to be legally excluded on the basis of their sex from gender-specific sports, was “clearly based on biological sex”.
Former FA chairman Lord Triesman told The Telegraph when the ruling was handed down: “The futile excuses of some sporting bodies, particularly the FA, have been shown to be unlawful.
“Women's sport, like everything else, is determined by biological facts. There is no room for alternative proposals, and the organizations interested in this must urgently reform and comply with the law, otherwise they will face constant legal problems.”
Following the ruling, Ultimate Pool Group updated its policy to ban transgender women from participating in pool, also receiving notice that pool is a gender-sensitive sport.
Snooker's world governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, is also reviewing its policies.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
