UCI recognises transgender policy ‘concerns’ and reopens consultation

World cycling’s governing body, the UCI, has signalled a shift in its transgender policy just days after Austin Killips sparked controversy by becoming the first transgender athlete to win a UCI women’s stage race.

In a notable change in tone, the UCI admitted it had heard the “concerns” of female athletes about unfair competition in the sport, and would be reopening its consultation with a view to reaching a decision in August.

Victory by Killips at the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico quickly led to widespread criticism of the UCI’s transgender policy, with the three-time Olympian Inga Thompson accusing it of “killing off women’s cycling”, and Canada’s Olympic cross-country silver medallist, Alison Sydor, saying it was “no different functionally than doping” as Killips had the advantage of going through male puberty.

American rider Killips, who started racing in 2019, was competing within the UCI’s current rules, which allow transgender women to compete in the female category provided they suppress their testosterone levels to 2.5nmol/L for a 24-month period.

The UCI is increasingly an outlier, as in the past year World Athletics and World Swimming have joined World Rugby in banning transgender women from their female categories. All three federations cited multiple scientific papers reporting that transgender women retain significant advantages in strength, power, lung capacity and other indicators of physical performance after transitioning.

In a statement on Thursday, the UCI said its management committee had discussed the issue of transgender participation in elite cycling at a meeting in Sardinia, and had decided to reopen consultation with the athletes and national federations before taking a decision at its next