PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: London Marathon organisers will permit biologically male transgenders to compete in the mass participation female category despite a recent Supreme Court ruling.
👥 Who’s Involved: Hugh Brasher, race director for the London Marathon; World Athletics; Glenique Frank; Mara Yamauchi.
📍 Where & When: Announcement made in London, England, on April 23.
💬 Key Quote: Race director Hugh Brasher stated participants can compete in certain categories based on the gender they identify with.
⚠️ Impact: Transgender athletes can partake in certain races, though this decision is not yet aligned with recent legal clarifications by the British Supreme Court.
IN FULL:
The organisers of the London Marathon have confirmed that biologically male transgender athletes will still be able to compete in the women’s category of the main mass participation event, despite the recent legal ruling in the United Kingdom that gender corresponds to biological sex.
Hugh Brasher, the race director, stated on Wednesday that runners could compete in line with the gender they identify with for the mass participation segment of the race. However, the eligibility for female races in elite, championship, and “good for age” categories will remain restricted as per World Athletics’ guidelines from 2023.
“We are clear about what we have done and we are really clear about the competition element—anywhere where there is competition, and that includes good for age, has to be your biological birth sex,” Brasher said. However, while elite-level athletes will be unaffected, biological males competing as women will have their times erroneously logged among women in the mass participation race.
This decision comes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that defined sex based on biological criteria under the Equality Act. This judgment might impact the future inclusion of transgender individuals in single-sex spaces, including sports, possibly restricting their ability to file discrimination claims if excluded.
The London Marathon’s organisers have opted to maintain the current policy while awaiting advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Sport England regarding the Supreme Court decision.
Other sports governing bodies like British Cycling, British Rowing, the Rugby Football Union, and UK Athletics have already implemented restrictions for transgender athletes in their events.