Q&A: Transgender women in sport – key questions answered

A number of former and current athletes have spoken about the issue and how it impacts them.

Former swimmer Sharron Davies has said, external “no rules can reverse the advantage of male puberty” and told the BBC in 2019 that the “potential benefit” of a performance gap could not be ignored.

British 800m athlete Ellie Baker tweeted about Bridges competing: “How this has been allowed to happen is just ridiculous. I would refuse to race and hope that the other women would stand with me on this too.

“This is totally unfair. The advantages a trans women [sic] has had from going through puberty as a boy to a man can never been undone.”

She was supported by fellow Great Britain runners Seren Bundy-Davies, external and Emily Diamond., external

Britain’s 400m hurdler Jessie Knight also praised Baker for “speaking out, something most female athletes (including myself) are not brave enough to do”.

BBC Sport understands discussions were taking place among British cyclists about taking action against Bridges’ inclusion in the British Omnium Championships prior to her being ruled out, but they feared voicing their opinions would be interpreted as transphobic.

This stance was largely confirmed in a letter, external sent to the UCI by a group of elite female cyclists on 6 April.

The group – including retired Olympians, scientists and researchers – called on cycling’s world governing body to “rescind” its rules around transgender participation and testosterone levels and implement eligibility criteria for women “based on female biological characteristics”.

One of the signatories was Sara Symington, head of Olympic and Paralympic programmes at British Cycling.

Former marathon runner Paula Radcliffe believes the best place to start is “more research” with “honesty on both sides”.

“If you have gone through male puberty there is an undeniable advantage and the cases going on at the moment undoubtedly prove that,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I don’t necessarily think there should be an outright ban from the start, but I do think that the current IOC rules, where there should be no presumption of physical advantage, are completely wrong.”

US swimmer Erica Sullivan, who competed against Thomas at the college event, said that Thomas deserved “to be celebrated for her hard-won success”.

“Like anyone else in this sport, Lia has trained diligently to get to where she is and has followed all of the rules and guidelines put before her,” Sullivan wrote for Newsweek., external

“As a woman in sports, I can tell you that I know what the real threats to women’s sports are: sexual abuse and harassment, unequal pay and resources and a lack of women in leadership.”

Kent cricketer Maxine Blythin also received support on social media, external from her team-mates after she was criticised on social media.