At the moment, transgender women will be banned from participating in the International Rugby League after the governing body of the sport became the second this week to announce a change in policy on a polarizing issue.
After the announcement on Monday that Fina has actually banned transgender women The International Rugby League (IRL) has decided not to participate in international competitions by participating in elite women’s swimming competitions.
IRL said in the statement that further consultation and research is needed before he can complete his policy, but in the meantime the decision means trans athletes will not be able to play in test matches this weekend or at the Women’s Rugby World Cup later this year.
The IRL has said it intends to review the views of the eight teams that will be taking part in the November tournament in England to gather data that will operate in a policy to include trans women in the future.
“IRL continues to revise and update the rules for transgender participation in the Women’s International Rugby League and will seek to use the upcoming World Cup to help develop a comprehensive inclusion policy,” the IRL said.
“Further research to enable IDPs to implement a formal policy for the inclusion of transgender people, from men to women, has not yet been completed. [trans women] players cannot play in the sanctioned women’s matches of the International Rugby League. “
The IRL last revised its policy to include transgender people in January and February 2021 and stated that in adopting its latest position, it takes into account “several relevant developments in world sport”, including the IOC Framework on Justice, Non-Discrimination and Inclusion. The basis of gender identity and gender variations.
“The IOC has concluded that it is the responsibility of each sport and its governing body to determine the extent to which an athlete can gain a disproportionate advantage over his or her peers – taking into account the different nature of each sport,” the IRL said. .
“In the interests of avoiding unnecessary welfare, legal and reputational risk for international rugby league competitions and those participating in them, IRL believes there is a requirement and responsibility for further consultation and completion of further research before finalizing its policy.
“IRL confirms its belief that the rugby league is a game for everyone and that everyone can play our sport. The responsibility of the IRL is to balance the individual’s right to participate – a long-standing principle of the Rugby League and at its core since its inception – with the perceived risk to other participants, and to ensure a fair trial for all. “
“IRL will continue to work on developing a set of criteria based on the best possible evidence that sufficiently balances the human right to play with the safety of all participants,” the statement said.
“To help achieve this, IRL will seek to collaborate with the eight finalists of the Women’s Rugby World Cup to obtain data that will inform future trans-women’s inclusion policies in 2023 that take into account the unique characteristics of the Rugby League.”
It is unclear how IRL’s decision will affect the domestic game when the NRLW season begins in August before the competition increases to four teams in 2023.
“The NRL continues to engage with experts and stakeholders on transgender participation,” the statement said Tuesday. “The policy will be determined by the Commission after all advice has been carefully and reasonably considered.”
On Monday, Fina announced it would create an “open category” for trans-women swimmers, but decided polarized opinions in sports. Olympians Kate Campbell and Emily Seabeam supported the new policy, and Maddie Groves called the decision “deeply shameful.”
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe backed the move and suggested athletics may soon follow suit.
