The CrossFit Games have changed their eligibility policy to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in categories designated as “gender assigned at birth.”
“All athletes are welcome to participate in CrossFit Games events” and the sport’s 2025 rule book Read. “However, in order to maintain fairness and the integrity of the competition, athletes must compete in the division that corresponds to their assigned sex at birth.”
The rulebook does not elaborate further and does not mention the words “trans” or “transgender”.
Based on references to “fairness,” this policy appears to be primarily aimed at transgender women and prevent them from competing in designated events.
Opponents of transgender participation often cite the physiological advantages that those who underwent male puberty hold over cisgender women when making this argument.
The rulebook doesn’t seem to address the inclusion of transgender men.
This aligns with the stated goal of “equity” because the new policy forces transgender men, even those taking hormone replacement therapy, to compete with women because of their birth sex. Potentially contradictory.
CrossFit’s rulebook states that athletes, regardless of gender or gender identity, may gain an “unfair” advantage over other athletes by taking hormones, but at no point in time can they take “hormones.” There is no mention of the term.
The CrossFit Games rulebook notes that athletes must be drug tested (presumably for anabolic steroids) in order to compete and receive prize money, but the rulebook also notes that, for example, transgender athletes must does not establish guidelines for testosterone levels to determine. Born females hold a competitive advantage over born female athletes.
as first reported out sportsCrossFit previously allowed transgender women to compete as women following a 2018 announcement indicating that competitors would be allowed to compete based on their gender identity.
Recent changes have made CrossFit the latest sports organization to ban transgender women from female-designated sports.
Chris Mosier expressed disappointment in an’s Crossfit Instagram post.
“CrossFit’s new gender classification policy requires transgender athletes to compete according to the gender listed on their birth certificate,” wrote Transgender Triathlete, Duathlete, and Racewalker. “To make matters worse, any athlete can make personal complaints about any other athlete. With a political wave of anti-trans attacks, CrossFit has jumped at the opportunity to go back to its old ways.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
