Christian advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom International has threatened legal action against ten sports governing bodies, over their transgender policies.
Parkrun, British Gymnastics and the Welsh Football Association are among the groups to have been warned their policies are in breach of the law, allowing biological men to compete in female categories.
ADF International are co-signatories with the Women’s Sports Union, Olympic medalist Sharron Davies and sailor Tracy Edwards. The letters warn legal action will follow if sporting bodies do not take action.
It comes after the first anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling, which stated that “woman” in the Equality Act refers to biological sex.
Draft guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission requires biological men to be prevented from taking part in women’s and girl’s sport, to ensure fair and safe competition.
“Biological sex is not a negotiable category; it is the essential foundation for safeguarding women and girls and preserving fair competition”, the letter said.
Paul Sapper, communications director for ADF International, told Premier Christian News it was “a shocking state of affairs that many sports bodies in the UK are still failing to protect women's sport, in line with their legal obligations.”
He said Christians should be concerned “because we know that God created human beings male and female, and everything we know from science confirms that there are ineradicable differences when it comes to physical attributes.”
Sapper said it was “unacceptable” that some sports bodies have only made changes at an elite level, telling Premier that “across all levels, women's sports should be protected, to ensure fair competition and safety.”
The letters explained: “In light of the ruling in For Women Scotland and the scientific and sporting consensus, it is now well-established: male puberty confers enduring, irreversible physiological advantages.
“These include greater skeletal size and limb length, higher bone density and structural strength, significantly increased muscle mass and upper-body strength, superior aerobic capacity and cardiovascular output, and enhanced speed and explosive power (typically producing performance gaps of 10–30%, and up to 50% in strength-dominant disciplines, such as boxing where male punching power is on average 162% greater than female)”, it added.
Concerns about safeguarding, injuries risks and the risk of discrimination claims by female athletes “whose opportunities and achievements are displaced or diminished” are also set out.
The International Olympic Committee announced in March that only biological females would be eligible to compete in women’s categories, applying to the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
The sports bodies sent letters are: Football Association of Wales, Irish Football Association (governs football in Northern Ireland), British Powerlifting, Swim England (governs diving and water polo), British Gymnastics, Royal Yachting Association, Parkrun, British Baseball Federation, BaseballSoftballUK, Rounders England.