Sport Ireland issues guidance on including transgender and non-binary people in sport

Sport Ireland has published new guidance on the inclusion of transgender and non-binary people in sport.

It will also introduce new resources to support the sector in this area.

The body said the document, which follows a six-month consultation period, is intended to "provide information and insights" to the sector to assist with decision making and policy development.

Sport Ireland says it provides recommended "steps and considerations" for policy formation on participation of transgender and non-binary people in a particular sport and highlights practical considerations for policy implementation and review.

Sport Ireland said it had produced the document as "the inclusion and eligibility of transgender and non-binary people within sport has become an important issue for sports organisations around the world and is attracting increasing scrutiny at a societal level.

"The biomedical science tells us that there are significant differences in the determinants of sporting performance between the sexes. At this time the evidence points to retention of some of these differences in transgender women, even after transition therapy.

"It is also clear that exercise and sport is important to everyone, both for physical and mental health as well as social benefits, and so Sport Ireland is keen to make sure there is a place for everyone in sport."

More than 4,000 people - grassroots organisations, high-performance, transgender and non-binary people and their families, advocacy and representative groups, and the general public - were consulted through a mix of surveys, focus groups and interviews.

Sport Ireland said the results showed "very differing opinions about how best to include everyone in sport. While many from the LGBTI+ community,