The global governing body for netball has said that transgender women will not be allowed to play in women’s netball teams at international level.
World Netball made the announcement on Monday, saying that the decision was effective immediately.
In a statement, World Netball said: ‘Following detailed review of the science and consultation with experts and members, it has determined that international level women’s netball is a gender-affected activity, and that a policy is required [to] ensure fairness and safety at this level of our sport.’
World Netball’s ruling only applies to international competition, and local netball associations can still draw up their own guidelines around the participation of transgender women in local competitions.
A number of other global sporting bodies have tightened their rules around the participation of transgender women in elite competitions, including cricket, cycling, swimming, athletics, and chess.
Critics of transgender women participating in women’s sport say that they never lose the physical advantage of being born male and of going through male puberty, while transgender activists claim that this is discriminatory and exclusionary.
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