Sport: Equality

(asked on 15th October 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference Sports Councils Equality Group report entitled, Project for Review and Redraft of Guidance for Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport 2021, published September 2021, what steps he is taking to address (a) intimidation, (b) threats of non-selection and (c) sanctions aimed at individuals in UK sports organisations who support fair sport.


Answered by
Nigel Huddleston Portrait
Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
This question was answered on 20th October 2021

The government is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, as well as safety and fairness across all levels of sport. This is at the heart of our strategy ‘Sporting Future’. Sports governing bodies each have their own rules on transgender issues and it is appropriate that they can determine the right position for their own sport.

The Sports Councils’ Equality Group (SCEG) transgender guidance is a carefully considered report which addresses the complexities of transgender inclusion in sport. The report has concluded that there is an inherent tension between delivering inclusion, fairness and safety when including transgender women into the women’s sport category due to retained physiological differences.

The guidance advises the national governing bodies (NGBs) of each sport to define the best options for their sport, subject to their assessment of inclusion, fairness and safety. It also includes a decision making framework to help sports undertake such an assessment and if appropriate consider options to modify or adapt their offer to facilitate participation.

Our arm’s length bodies Sport England and UK Sport will continue to support NGBs to undertake the necessary assessment for their sport.

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