ICC Enforces New Trans Rules: No Trans Women in Women’s Cricket

GS Paper III Indian Economy

Context:

The International Cricket Council’s board recently came up with new regulations for cricket.

Under the new regulations, any player who has transitioned from male to female and has been through any form of male puberty will not be allowed to participate in women’s international cricket, regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken.

About International Olympic Committee (IOC):

The IOC is a not-for-profit independent international organisation which is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement.
As the leader of the Olympic Movement, the IOC acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family.
It ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organisations of the Olympic Movement and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of the Olympic values.

Earlier, a transgender woman had to keep testosterone serum to 5 nanomoles or below for a period of 12 months. This was in line with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC)recommendations.
- The new rule means Canada’s Danielle McGahey, who became the first transgender player to feature in international cricket earlier this year, will no longer be eligible to play women’s cricket.
- McGahey, originally from Australia, had fulfilled ICC’s old criteria that made her eligible to play in the Women’s T20 Qualifiers for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Other Decisions taken by ICC:

Pay Parity: The Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) of the ICC endorsed a plan to accelerate the development of female match officials. This includes, having equal match day pay for ICC umpires across men’s and women’s cricket.
Stop-clock trial: This regulation will come into effect from December 1 and continue till April 2024. Under this, a clock will be used to regulate the amount of time taken between overs.
Five-run penalty: If the bowling team is not ready to bowl the next over within 60 seconds of completion of the previous over, a five-run penalty will be imposed the third time it happens in an inning.

In 2020, World Rugby became the first international sports federation to say transgender women cannot compete at the elite and international level of the women’s game.
Female world ranking competitions: No transgender athlete who had gone through male puberty is permitted to compete in female world ranking competitions. FINA (now known as World Aquatics) – swimming’s world governing body also stops transgender athletes from competing in women’s elite races if they had gone through any part of the process of male puberty.
- In 2020, World Rugby became the first international sports federation to say transgender women cannot compete at the elite and international level of the women’s game.

News Source: Indian Express