Riley Gaines praised the British Cycling organization on Friday after it announced a ban on males competing in the female category, crediting them with “prioritizing fairness.”
The former swimming champion — who was deprived of an NCAA award by male swimmer Lia Thomas — responded to news: “Breaking: British Cycling departs from International Federation rules and limits women’s competitive cycling to the FEMALE SEX ONLY.”
“Great news!” Gaines tweeted on Friday. “Prioritizing fairness as intended to be in sports. Women should never be used as collateral damage to validate feelings/identity of others.”
“It’s time governing bodies of all sports follow [BritishCycling],” she added. Gaines also gave a special nod to three-time Olympian female cyclist Inga Thompson, who recently encouraged women to protest the unfairness of women being forced to compete against males in her sport.
Great news! Prioritizing fairness as intended to be in sports. Women should never be used as collateral damage to validate feelings/identity of others. Its time governing bodies of all sports follow @BritishCycling
Im certain you played a big part in this! @ithompsonfdn ⭐️ https://t.co/3PVua6XYaq
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 26, 2023
The governing body announced that the new cycling policy was made to “safeguard the fairness of competition,” The Daily Mail reported.
The change includes making the current men’s category an “open” category where trans-identifying male cyclists can compete against other men, while the female category is just for those who were born female, the outlet noted.
British Cycling Chief Executive Jon Dutton said, “Our new policies are the product of a robust nine-month review process, which we know will have a very real-world impact for our community both now and in the future.”
“I am confident that we have developed policies that both safeguard the fairness of cyclesport competition, whilst ensuring all riders have opportunities to participate,” Dutton added.
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The review concluded that “even with the suppression of testosterone, trans women who transition post-puberty retain a performance advantage.”
Trans-identifying male cyclist Emily Bridges blasted the new policy, calling it a “violent act.” Bridges was previously set to compete in the female category of the National Omnium Championships. Bridges previously set the national junior men’s record over 25 miles before becoming a part of British Cycling’s Senior Academy in 2019. In 2020, Bridges began identifying as transgender.
The move comes just weeks after trans-identifying male cyclist American Austin Killips won the Tour of the Gila run by the UCI. After the uproar over Killips, the group vowed to review its policy and make a ruling by August, a move many believe will include a ban on males competing in the female category.