The International Rugby League (IRL) is banning transgender women from competing in the women’s league while officials conduct research to develop a policy on transgender participation.
The IRL posted a statement online on Tuesday saying that the league considered multiple “relevant developments” in sports to reach its decision, most significantly the International Olympic Committee’s Framework on Fairness, Non-Discrimination and Inclusion on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations, which was published in November.
The framework states that each sport’s governing body can determine how a competitor might have a disproportionate advantage compared to their peers, considering that each sport is different. The International Olympic Committee’s guidance also rejects the premise that athletes assigned male at birth have an inherent advantage over those assigned female at birth.
The announcement follows the International Swimming Federation’s new policy that bans virtually all transgender women from participating in elite international swimming competitions. World Rugby issued a ban in 2020 on all transgender men and women who transitioned after puberty, as well as those who took testosterone during puberty or adolescence.
“In the interests of avoiding unnecessary welfare, legal and reputational risk to International Rugby League competitions, and those competing therein, the IRL believes there is a requirement and responsibility to further consult and complete additional research before finalising its policy,” the IRL statement reads.
The statement says the league wants to balance an individual’s right to compete with the “perceived risk” to other competitors.
The IRL will work with the eight 2021 Women’s Rugby League World Cup finalists in 2023 to gather data to help in the creation of a future transgender women inclusion policy, intended to be released, according to the statement.