Transgender women will no longer be allowed to play in some female domestic tennis and padel tournaments in Britain, in changes to the Lawn Tennis Association’s rules.
The LTA is updating its transgender and non-binary participation policy, but this will not affect entry into Wimbledon or ITF, WTA or ATP tournaments staged in the UK.
The policy applies solely to British domestic inter-club competitions. The rules for tour events will continue to be set by the relevant governing body.
From 25 January, transgender women, who were recorded male at birth, will not be eligible to compete in female events in higher graded competitions, which usually involve individuals taking on players from another club or county.
The rules do not extend to events taking place between players from just one venue – such as a club championship or a weekend social tournament. Venues will still be able to decide their own policy in these circumstances.
In updating the policy, the LTA says it has had to balance “two potentially conflicting responsibilities: the need to ensure “competition in our sport is fair and a responsibility to make sure tennis is welcoming and inclusive for everyone.”
It also says it appreciates the “diversity of opinion around this matter” and will keep the policy under review in the years ahead.
The current WTA Gender Participation Policy, based on 2015 guidance, is under review in light of the International Olympic Committee’s transgender eligibility framework published in 2021.
At the moment, the WTA permits transgender women to participate if they have declared their gender as female for a minimum of four years, have lowered testosterone levels and agree to testing procedures.
The LPGA Golf Tour recently decided that transgender women who have gone through male puberty will no longer be allowed to compete on leading golf tours. That followed the England and Wales Cricket Board’s decision last month to say that any player who has gone through male puberty will be ineligible from the top two tiers of the women’s game from 2025.
Other sports governing bodies have also changed their policies in recent years, including athletics, cycling and swimming to ban transgender athletes from competing in elite women’s competitions.