World Netball, the global governing body of netball, issued a new policy on Monday that bars men from competing in the women’s division at the international level to ensure “fairness and safety.”
“In order to ensure fairness and safety World Netball has taken the decision that eligibility for International Level Women’s Netball Competition is restricted to those athletes recorded as female at birth irrespective of gender identity,” the governing body wrote in a document released Monday. The new policy, which was created by the World Netball Medical Advisory Panel, goes into effect immediately.
The governing body described netball as a “gender affected activity” in which “the average strength, stamina and physique of one Sex (female) will put them at a disadvantage compared with the other Sex (male).” The sport is played by seven players per side on a rectangular court. The object is to shoot the ball through the opposing team’s circular net while preventing the other side from scoring in the same manner.
Under the new policy, female athletes who identify as “transgender” and “non-binary” are eligible to compete in the International Level Women’s Netball Competitions if they can “establish” that they “have not experienced the biological effects of testosterone at any time.”
“World Netball believes that the research on which it has relied is robust, it comprises many research studies, all of which have been published in peer-reviewed journals and come from multiple distinct research groups around the world,” the governing body said.
However, World Netball stated that the “policy is a living document.” World Netball will review the policy annually to ensure that it is “consistent with latest guidance, science, information, and studies.”
World Netball is an international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
On Monday, the Council of Presidents of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) unanimously approved a policy to prohibit men from the women’s division. The policy further bars women who have started masculinizing hormone therapy from the women’s division. The NAIA is an athletic body overseeing small colleges in North America that do not fall within the NCAA’s three competition divisions.