Australian Open CEO reveals plans to make transgender-inclusive regulations

World governing bodies of tennis are being pushed to maintain inclusive rules for transgender players by Tennis Australia (TA).

The International Tennis Federation's (ITF) current policy on transgender athletes, which was updated in 2018, currently requires trans athletes competing in women’s competitions to maintain their testosterone levels below five nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) for at least a year. They are also required to provide a signed declaration of their gender identity.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), on the other hand, requires trans athletes competing in women’s events to have maintained their testosterone levels below 10 nmol/L for at least a year.

However, TA CEO Craig Tiley has now stated that he is talking to the ITF and the WTA to allow transgenders to play at the elite level.

“When it comes to the professional tennis, we’ve got to be responsive to the international tennis federations. They set the guidelines and the policy on it. But you know, as a sport, we’ve made our position pretty clear … and we are supportive [of transgender inclusion],” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“We’re trying to influence the decision now. We are an organisation that believes absolutely in inclusivity, in diversity, in equality – so any decision made will need to be aligned with our core values,” he added.

Tiley stated that the sport has been dealing with the issue for a while, referencing transgender athlete Renee Richards, who sued to be allowed to play at the 1977 US Open.

“Tennis has had to grapple with the decisions on this for quite a while,” he said.

In 2019, TA adopted the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Institute of Sport’s guidelines for participation for trans and gender-diverse people in grassroots sports. These guidelines, however, do not cover elite competitive settings.

---

Martina Navratilova stands for excluding trans people from women's sports

Martina Navratilova has always been against trans athletes competing in women's sports.

Meanwhile, former World No. 1 Martina Navratilova has been vocal about not allowing trans athletes to compete in women's sports. She, interestingly, was previously coached by transgender athlete Renee Richards.

Navratilova has previously shared her annoyance when transgender cyclist Austin Killips won the women's category of the Tour of the Gila. When World Athletics announced that no transgender athlete would be eligible to compete in the female category in any international event, she praised the decision.

In an interview with British TV personality Piers Morgan last year, the 18-time Grand Slam champion stated that sports biology mattered.

“We are only seeing this from one side with transwomen taking up space in women’s spaces but we do not hear the same of men trying to define what a man is wonder why that is. I really come at this issue from a position of fairness for women and girls competing in sports because sports biology matters,” she said.

Navratilova has also opined that having an “open” category for everyone, including transgender women, would be a solution to the issue.

“Biological females are most likely to compete in the biological female category, as that’s their best shot at winning and it maintains the principle of fairness. With an “open” category there are no question marks, no provisos, no asterisks, no doubts. It’s a simple solution," she expressed.