A court in Belgium has ruled in favour of a transgender cyclist who sued the International Cycling Union (UCI) after it refused her a licence to participate in women’s events, according to a judgment issued on Tuesday.
The discrimination case, settled this month by the Brussels civil court, dates back to 2023, when the cyclist was notified that her licence had been revoked and she was barred from women’s competitions based on new UCI regulations.
At the time, the international cycling body questioned the supposed advantage conferred on transgender women in competitions by having reached puberty as a boy.
In July 2023, it imposed a requirement that transgender athletes, in order to compete in the women’s category, must be able to prove that they began their transitioning before puberty or before the age of 12.
This is in addition to the existing requirement to display low testosterone levels.
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The plaintiff, born a boy in 1974, transitioned in her early forties and argued that the measure leading to her exclusion constituted discrimination.
In an order dated July 10, the court ruled in her favour, saying her action against the UCI was admissible and well-founded.
This chapter of the UCI medical regulations on eligibility rules for transgender athletes establishes “discrimination prohibited” by Belgian law, pursuant to a December 2008 decree on gender equality, the court ruled.
Consequently, these rules are declared null and void, and the UCI no longer has any justification for refusing the plaintiff’s participation in women’s cycling competitions, the court ruled, according to a copy of the order released to the media.
Belgium’s Institute for the Equality of Women and Men, which was a civil party in the case, said the order was “directly enforceable” and sets a precedent in the country.
The Belgian cycling federation told AFP it had began discussions with the UCI about how to apply the rules in the future.
