The RFL is nearing the completion of a review into transgender participation in Rugby League in the UK.
Last week International Rugby League (IRL) banned trans women – those who have transitioned from male to female – from the international game.
Trans women will be unable to compete at this year’s World Cup, though IRL chief Troy Grant has said no transgender player was in line to be picked anyway.
The IRL said they will conduct further research in order to implement a new policy from 2023 onwards.
“The IRL reaffirms its belief that rugby league is a game for all and that anyone and everyone can play our sport,” they said in a statement.
“It is the IRL’s responsibility to balance the individual’s right to participate – a long-standing principle of Rugby League and at its heart from the day it was established – against perceived risk to other participants, and to ensure all are given a fair hearing.”
Many sports are currently grappling with the issue and how to balance inclusivity with sporting fairness and, especially in a sport as physical as Rugby League, player afety.
There is currently no agreed policy across sport as a whole. Last year, for example, the International Olympic Committee said it was for individual sports to decide their own rules.
The RFL currently has no policy in place for its women’s competitions. But a review is ongoing, with a decision on transgender participation expected in the coming months.
In a statement issued to the media, it said: “The RFL’s review into transgender participation in domestic Rugby League is ongoing and nearing completion, following consultation with participants and other stakeholders, including the UK’s Sports Councils’ Equality Group (SCEG), and other sports.”
Swimming’s governing body, Fina, recently effectively banned transgender athletes from competing and World Athletics are expected to follow suit.
World Rugby do not allow trans women to play in professional women’s rugby union, at international or domestic level, because of “the size, force- and power-producing advantages conferred by testosterone during puberty and adolescence, and the resultant player welfare risks this creates.”
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