London, January 9 (HS): England Hockey on Wednesday announced a new policy under which transgender women will be barred from competing in the women's category from the start of the next season.

Keeping transgender and non-binary participation in mind, the governing body has introduced two competition categories: Women's and Open, with all participants including transgender and non-binary players being welcomed in the Open.

A review of the previous policy began in July 2023, incorporating guidance from the equality group of sports councils. Based on this evidence, we have determined that the trans and non-binary participation policy should restrict trans participation to ensure fair competition, England Hockey said in a statement.

We are committed to supporting all affected players to ensure they find the right path to continue participating in hockey, the organisation said. The new policy, effective from September 1, aims to ensure that everyone can participate in the sport of hockey in a fair manner.

Several other sports bodies have recently implemented similar restrictions on the participation of transgender women in top women's events. The Lawn Tennis Association has banned transgender women from some domestic tennis and paddle tournaments, while the LPGA Golf Tour announced last month that transgender women would be ineligible to compete from the 2025 season. Similarly, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced in October that players who undergo male puberty would be ineligible for top-level women's cricket from 2025.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar