The NRL is yet to decide whether to follow suit after the International Rugby League banned transgender athletes from competing in this weekend’s Test matches and the upcoming women’s World Cup, which will be held concurrently with the men’s event in October and November in England.
The decision comes a day after transgender swimmers were banned from competing in international events for females. The International Rugby League made the ruling on male-to-female players ahead of this weekend’s representative round, a decision that will stand “until further research is completed into the issue.”
“The IRL is continuing work to review and update rules about transgender participation in women’s international rugby league and will seek to use the upcoming World Cup to help develop a comprehensive inclusion policy,” the governing body wrote in a missive to its member nations.
“Until further research is completed to enable the IRL to implement a formal transgender inclusion policy, male-to-female (transwomen) players are unable to play in sanctioned women’s international rugby league matches.