Non-binary transgender women assigned as males at birth will be excluded from competing in the women’s category of many national tennis tournaments in Britain from next month, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) announced on Wednesday.
The British tennis governing body issued a new transgender and non-binary policy and said it needed to strike a balance between competitive fairness and inclusion.
The rules do not apply to tournaments such as Wimbledon or ATP and WTA events held in Britain because the LTA is not responsible for such competitions. Domestic padel is included, but not international events held in Great Britain.
‘It is clear that tennis and padel are gender influenced sports: the average man has an advantage when playing against the average woman. This includes longer levers with which to reach and hit the ball and greater cardiovascular capacity means being able to move around the court more easily,’ the LTA said in a statement.
It said there was a broad consensus that the advantage was ‘likely to be significantly maintained in trans women, making the competition potentially unfair’.
The policy comes into effect on 25 January and applies to leagues and tournaments involving players from different clubs and venues, from national championships down to the local level. Events organised with players from only one venue, such as club leagues and social tournaments, will be able to set their own policy as ‘the aim is primarily to provide fun, social competition to allow people to feel part of their local tennis community’.
‘We want to encourage local venues to ensure that they are as inclusive as possible for trans and non-binary people, providing opportunities to compete in a friendly environment,’ the LTA said.
Leave a comment