UCI and British Cycling are preventing transgender athlete Emily Bridges from competing in this weekend's National Omnium Championships, despite her submission of medical evidence that she meets the required 12-month current prescription level of testosterone ...

In a statement released Friday, Bridges, who joined British Cycling's Senior Academy program as a male racer in 2019 and came out as transgender in 2020, said British Cycling has deemed her ineligible to race Despite the UCI's statement that it was the UCI that deemed her ineligible, she said, "I still have little clarity on their decision to disqualify me from the race according to their rules."

"Over the past six months I have been in communication with British Cycling and the International Cycling Union (UCI) regarding the eligibility criteria I must meet as a transgender woman to compete in the women's category of the British Omnium Championships to be held on Saturday, April 2, 2022. During this time, I have submitted medical evidence to both British Cycling and the UCI that I meet the eligibility criteria for a transgender female cyclist, including testosterone levels that have been well below the limits set by the rules for the past 12 months."

Sports federations are increasingly caught between the reality of the sex and gender spectrum and the societal reaction to this reality. High profile cases such as track and field runners Caster Semenya and Duti Chand have been subjected to rigorous testing and intense public scrutiny, highlighting the need for rules to ensure equity and inclusion.

In 2015, the IOC created a framework for the inclusion of athletes and gender identity with "differences in sexual development" (DSD), which encompasses a number of rare genetic and developmental conditions previously described as "intersex."

Transgender women were initially required to test below 10 nmol/mL for 12 months before competing in the women's category, despite evidence that so-called "biological females" may often exceed this limit.

This policy has been adopted by most international sports federations, and the UCI reduced the testosterone limit by half to 5 nmol/mL in 2020.

Transgender athletes have been the subject of vicious legislative campaigns in the United States and pressure in the United Kingdom, especially after a 2021 report (open in new tab) suggested that transgender women retain the benefits of a male body even with testosterone suppression.

The IOC updated its framework last month to move away from hormonal restrictions, but UCI president David Lapartient told The Guardian (opens in new tab) this week that his organization is under pressure from women's unions to ensure fair competition.

"It's a very sensitive subject at the moment," he said. 'The question is, do you have any previous memories left from your body? Is there an advantage to that? When we ask this question, it is not to dispute the fact that people want transitions. We fully respect that. But we also understand the feelings of the women who say, 'OK, we don't accept this. At the moment, the women's union is completely against this, and they are objecting to the UCI. So we are in between."

Cycling News contacted La Partient and representatives of the CPA and the Cyclist Union (TCU) to confirm the pressure; neither the CPA nor the UCI responded; the TCA suggested that the pressure came from the CPA, the UCI-recognized athlete union.

"The Cyclist Alliance (TCA) supports Emily Bridges and treats her with the kindness, dignity and respect she deserves as a human being. We do not condone the harassment Emily has suffered," TCA wrote in Cycling News.

"The mission of the Cyclist Alliance is to pursue equity in professional cycling and to ensure a safe and stable working environment for 100% of women cyclists. We recognize that achieving inclusion across all provisions of the Equality Act is complex and nuanced, and that it is difficult for the International Cycling Union (UCI) and national federations to develop appropriate policies and protocols. We agree with David LaPartient's statement that existing UCI transgender guidelines are inadequate and need to be addressed. We believe more can be done to listen to stakeholders in women's cycling, to open dialogue, to provide an appropriate platform for everyone to contribute, to hear and respect different opinions and experiences, and that the TCA, from the UCI, national federations and CPA Women's We are willing to be consulted and will continue to represent the views of our members. We believe that the UCI and British Cycling have shown unfairness by not adhering to the eligibility criteria they set (for athletes transitioning from male to female to compete in the women's category), and we call on Emily Bridges to provide a transparent explanation for her decision. We are asking them to do so."

Bridges, on the other hand, is also frustrated and across the board, claiming that she followed the rules, but not being informed why she was not allowed to compete.

British Cycling said the reason is that Bridges still has a valid male UCI license and cannot compete until it expires; UCI licenses are only issued for one year, and Bridges came out as transgender two years ago.

"I am an athlete and after careful consideration of the research on transgender athletes, I only want to race competitively again, within the rules set by British Cycling and the UCI," Bridges wrote in a statement. 8]

." No one should have to choose between being who they are and participating in a sport that they love."

She added that she "would like to be able to continue to race competitively again.

As a result of public reports of her exclusion, Bridges says she has been "relentlessly harassed and demonized by those pushing a particular agenda."

"They attack anything that goes against the norm and publish whatever is most likely to increase engagement with the article and bring in advertising. This is done without regard for the well-being of individuals or marginalized groups, and their actions cause others to pick up the pieces.

"I had to shut down social media and block myself from looking at websites to prevent the targeted abuse I was receiving. This is despite the fact that I have not yet raced in the women's category. I have been judged solely because I am trans, despite a complete lack of evidence against me.

"I have been in contact with British Cycling and the UCI and have asked for clarification regarding my alleged ineligibility. I would like to thank all those who have supported me over the past ten days and I hope to be able to continue to do so in the future.