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PARIS (Reuters) -
The French rugby federation (FFR) will allow transgender women
to play women's rugby as of next season, going against governing
body World Rugby's guidelines, it said on Monday.
Last year, World Rugby said that after months of research, it
had "concluded that safety and fairness cannot presently be
assured for women competing against trans women in contact
rugby", however allowing national federations to implement
grassroot policies.
The FFR said that transgender women "must certify that they have
been on hormonal treatment for at least 12 months" and "must not
exceed the testosterone threshold of 5 nanomole/litre", meaning
transgender women still transitioning can also be allowed to
play women's rugby.
The FFR thus becomes the first national federation in France to
allow transgender women to take part in elite sport after the
board voted 'unanimously' in favour of the rule.
"Rugby is an inclusive, sharing sport, without distinction of
sex, gender, origin or religion," FFR vice president Serge Simon
said.
"The FFR is against all forms of discrimination and works daily
to ensure that everyone can exercise their free will in rugby
without constraint."
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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