Sign up for our free Sports newsletter to get the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing
Sign up for our free sports email to get the latest news
Cricket Australia will continue to prioritize inclusivity over science when it comes to deciding whether transgender players can compete in the women’s game, chief executive Nick Hockley told the Daily Telegraph in Sydney.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) followed the global heads of swimming, rugby union, cycling and athletics last month when it ruled that any players who were of male puberty would not be able to compete in the women’s international game.
However, Cricket Australia still determines who can play in all domestic competitions, and Hockley said the body would stick to the rules it put in place four years ago.
“We were really proud in 2019 to put together a pioneering set of transgender guidelines, both for society and for elite cricket, that were completely based on a philosophy of inclusion,” Hockley told the newspaper.
“The ICC Guidelines go a little further in that they follow a completely scientific approach. We have expressed our belief that inclusion is the priority, so we will continue to work with the ICC to express our views,” the ICC said in the November ruling. November, which followed a nine-month consultation process, will be reviewed after two years.
Transgender advocacy groups say excluding transgender athletes amounts to discrimination. Critics of transgender inclusion in women’s sports say that reaching puberty confers on athletes a massive musculoskeletal advantage that transition does not mitigate.
Cricket Australia’s rules allow transgender players to compete in the elite women’s domestic game if they maintain testosterone levels below 10 nanograms per deciliter for 12 months before nomination to the team.
The rules of community women’s cricket only require that a transgender player demonstrate a “commitment that their gender identity is consistent with their gender identity in other aspects of daily life”.
Hockley said the impact of the ICC ruling on Australia was hypothetical as there were currently no transgender cricketers in the country hoping to play international cricket.
He added: “We will continue to work closely with the International Criminal Court to express our views.” “I think we need to be really inclusive and we also need to be very attentive to player wellbeing and mental health considerations as well.”