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New guidance suggests that transgender inclusion in sport can be improved by adding 'open-minded' and 'universal" categories to male or female ones.
The UK's non-elite sports have conducted a wide-ranging review on transgender inclusion and concluded that the current policies were not appropriate.
According to the Sports Councils Equality Group (SCEG), "for many sports, inclusion of transgender people and fairness cannot co-exist within a single competitive model."
This guidance applies to community sport from the local level, not professional or elite sport.
It states that the governing bodies of each sport should decide their priorities and choose whether to focus on inclusion or competition fairness - and safety, if applicable - within their current format.
For example, transgender athletes could be admitted to more "universal admission" categories if they choose to participate in contact, collision, and combat sports that prioritize safety.
After an 18-month consultation, review and revision of existing research, Sport England, Sport Scotland and Sport Northern Ireland developed the new guidance.
It concluded that "testosterone suppression does not guarantee fairness between transgender females and natal females participating in gender-affected sporting activities" and that there are "retained differences between average women and average transgender or non-binary persons registered at birth"
The guidance states that sport must adapt to modern society in order to thrive and survive in the future.
It is stated that sports can continue to categorise participants into male or female categories, but they should be encouraged to create additional versions of their sport, such as "universal admission" and open categories.
The government bodies are encouraged "to think in innovative and creative methods to ensure that nobody is left behind."
These 10 principles are the basis of "reimagining" transgender inclusion policies.
One of these is testosterone suppression. It has been used to include transgender women in women’s sports.
In 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued guidance that stated transgender women should suppress testosterone for at least 12 consecutive months prior to competing.
Although the IOC delayed the release of updated guidance, its science director and medical doctor, Dr Richard Budgett, stated in July that science had "moved forward" since 2015.
SCEG stated that "our work exploring the most recent research, evidence, and studies made it clear that there are retained variations in strength, stamina, and physique between the average female transgender person or non-binary person who was registered male at birth with or without testosterone suppression."
Transgender Olympic athlete Laurel Hubbard competed in the women's +87kg weightlifting at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Hubbard was the first transgender athlete to participate in Games in a different category than the one they were born in.
World Rugby, an international sports federation, became the first to state that transgender women could not compete at the elite level of women's sport "on safety grounds" in October 2013.
The review was described by the heads of the sport councils as "challenging" and "emotional". It consisted of an independent consultation, including surveys and interviews, with respondents from 54 sports and 175 organizations.
The chief executives of the sport councils wrote a foreword. They stated: "We want this direction to open up, instead of close down, opportunities for everybody, recognising the fact that many people feel excluded from sports and physical activity.
"While there was broad support for making sport a safe place for all, especially transgender people, our consultation also revealed that there were concerns about safety and fairness regarding transgender inclusion in female sport. There was no consensus as to how to address these issues."
What other information did the report contain?
These are just a few of the key points and guidelines from the review:
