After the bronze medalist who lost a World Championship race to a transgender woman has criticized the results as unfair, USA Cycling has released a statement regarding its policies.
Dr Rachel McKinnon, a Canadian philosophy professor, won the women’s 35-44 age-group sprint final at the Velo Sports Center in Los Angeles last week. McKinnon was born male.
“As a result of Rachel McKinnon’s recent victory in the 35-44 Women’s Match Sprints at the 2018 UCI Master’s Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles, USA Cycling has received questions regarding McKinnon’s eligibility for the event and our policy on transgender athletes in competition at our sanctioned events”, read USA Cycling’s statement.
Rachel McKinnon is a transgender woman and USA Cycling member. She has participated in multiple USA Cycling events while adhering to requirements for transgender athletes as set forth by IOC, UCI, and USA Cycling. More specifically, while competing at the Master’s World Championships, an event run under the UCI’s purview, McKinnon adhered to all rules and regulations developed by the IOC and the UCI regarding transgender athlete participation in international competition.
USA Cycling is committed to creating an environment where our members have equal opportunity to participate in bicycle racing without discrimination. We understand the challenge of new, major additions to USA Cycling policy, and the ongoing need for conversation on diversity issues, specifically regarding the participation of transgender athletes. The rules and regulations developed by the IOC and UCI regarding transgender participation, which we follow at the elite level, seek to strike a balance between inclusion and fairness of competition for all athletes. USA Cycling’s transgender policy for non-elite amateur events is designed to do the same, but with less onerous requirements on transgender athletes and policies designed to promote inclusion while addressing capability, competition level, and required upgrades.
USA Cycling wants all of our members to have equal access to cycling events in a manner that is fair to all competitors, preserves the integrity of the sport, and respects international competition regulations. We will continue to monitor any changes in international regulations at the elite level, while always adhering to USA Cycling’s Bylaws and Code of Conduct and the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act when establishing policies at the non-elite amateur level.
We are dedicated to ensuring our members compete in a fair and safe environment free from abuse – both in person and online. Any behavior which violates USA Cycling’s Code of Conduct, including bullying, threatening comments, or verbal abuse, will not be tolerated and could lead to sanctions by USA Cycling and/or report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.”
