London: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday banned transgenders from competing in women’s and girls’ matches with immediate effect, complying with a recent Supreme Court ruling that excludes them from the legal definition of women.
The ECB’s decision came less than 24 hours after the Football Association (FA) took a similar resolution.
A statement issued by ECB said that it is announcing a change to its regulations on the eligibility of transgender players after an “updated legal position” following the recent Supreme Court ruling.
“With immediate effect, only those whose biological sex is female will be eligible to play in women’s cricket and girls’ cricket matches. Transgender women and girls can continue playing in open and mixed cricket,” the ECB statement said.
The ECB said while it was all for inclusivity in sports, the Supreme Court decision has prompted it to formulate new rules for women’s and girls’ cricket.
“Our regulations for recreational cricket have always aimed at ensuring that cricket remains as inclusive a sport as possible. These included measures to manage disparities, irrespective of someone’s gender, and safeguard the enjoyment of all players.
“However, given the new advice received about the impact of the Supreme Court ruling, we believe the changes announced today are necessary.”
The English Football Association (FA) had on Thursday announced that transgender women would no longer be able to compete in women’s football in England from June 1.
The Supreme Court’s decision on April 15 had come after a campaign group “For Women Scotland” brought up a petition against the Scottish government contesting that sex-based protections should only apply to people born females.
The ECB added that while it will have a “significant impact” on transgender women and girls in the sport, the body will ensure they are well supported by the cricketing ecosystem.
“We acknowledge that this decision will have a significant impact on transgender women and girls. We will work with Recreational Cricket Boards to support people impacted by this change in our regulations,” ECB added.
The ECB said that “abuse or discrimination” had no place in cricket, adding that they would study the report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the issue.
“We await updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and will study this carefully. We maintain that abuse or discrimination has no place in our sport and are committed to ensuring that cricket is played in a spirit of respect and inclusivity,” the ECB statement added.
