Transgender athletes can participate in community sport in New Zealand in the gender they identify with and do not have to prove or justify their identity, under Sport New Zealand’s new guiding principles.
The guidelines don’t apply to elite sport, and it’s up to individual sports to define where and how transgender athletes compete, the governing body said.
“An inclusive transgender policy allows individuals to participate with their self-determined gender and not the gender assigned at birth,” said Sport New Zealand (SNZ). “It doesn’t ask people to prove or otherwise justify their sex, gender or gender identity.”
Transgender participation has proved controversial at the amateur and elite levels, with women’s groups and some athletes saying transgender athletes should be excluded from female categories to ensure fair competition.
Proponents of transgender participation argue that not enough research has been done on whether transgender athletes have an unfair advantage over women.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete in the Tokyo Olympics last year.
SNZ said it was important that community sports leaders could be committed to inclusion and show that commitment by using pronouns in email signatures and communications and appointing inclusion officers.
The principles stated that changing rooms and bathing facilities must ensure privacy so that all people can use them safely and comfortably. That could mean removing urinals to make bathrooms “gender neutral” and making open showers private.
The guidelines also said the sport should assess the need for gender-specific uniforms and redesign them to accommodate different body types and shapes.
Comments are closed.