Katie Archibald: Olympic champion says female and transgender athletes have been let down by sports governing bodies

British Olympic gold medallist Katie Archibald says female and transgender athletes have been «let down» by inclusion policies in sport. “It is my opinion that the international governing bodies of several sports have let down transgender athletes, in particular transgender women, with their inclusion policies,” Archibald said in a statement one the eve of the Nations Cup in Glasgow this weekend.

Ad/> “These policies have put the athletes, their involvement in sport, and their personal lives under intense scrutiny when all the athletes have done is follow the rules and enter a category they were encouraged to enter.” Flèche WallonneCavalli outsprints Van Vleuten to win Fleche Wallonne Feminine, Teuns wins men's race18 HOURS AGO New guidance from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in November said there should be no assumption that a transgender athlete has an unfair advantage in strength, stamina and physique than female events. Archibald, who won the second of her cycling gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, says it is «wrong» to ignore the science.

«I feel let down by the International Olympic Committee who tell me there should be no assumed advantage for an athlete with a gender identity different to their sex,» she said. «I read this and hear that my world titles, my Olympic medals, and the champions jerseys I have at home, were all won in a category of people who simply don’t try as hard as the men.

That losing to male androgenisation is not about biology, but mindset. They are wrong.