A pair of female cyclists claim that transgender riders are still competing in British Cycling events despite a ban put in place by the organization in April.
The cyclists, both top-ranked in their respective categories, made the claim anonymously to BBC Sport.
The women claim they have lost both prize money and ranking points, the BBC reports.
“I felt totally destroyed because I should have – as a biological woman – have that place on the podium,” one of the women said.
“I felt like a trans competitor, after going through male puberty, would have that advantage over me and I couldn’t possibly ever compete with that person.”
(JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
When the BBC queried British Cycling over the women’s claims, the organization claimed the ban was only intended to apply to new applicants, not those who were already members.
“Existing licence holders remain unaffected by the suspension of the policy, provided the requirements in place at the time of application were met,” British Cycling said.
This claim, however, is disputed by the female riders who spoke to BBC Sport. Both claim that there was no grandfathering clause in the ban’s original text on British Cycling’s website and no mention that the measure only impacted new applicants until after they complained.
According to the BBC:
In April British Cycling voted for an immediate suspension of its transgender participation policy, stating that it was “unfair on all women riders”.
It followed the ruling by world governing body the UCI that trans cyclist Emily Bridges would not be eligible to participate in the women’s national Omnium championships.
The UCI stated that Bridges was still registered with them as a male cyclist, and therefore could not compete as a woman. Bridges said the decision had led to ‘targeted abuse’ and that ‘no-one should have to choose between being who they are and participating in the sport that they love’.
British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has informed the governing bodies of more than a dozen sports that she expects compliance with the policy “that competitive women’s sport must be reserved for people born of the female sex.”