Double Olympic champion Katie Archibald hit out at cycling 's world governing body for turning transgender athlete Emily Bridges into a martyr in the sport.
Archibald, who stormed to Madison gold with Dame Laura Kenny in Tokyo last summer, said she felt "let down" by the UCI and the International Olympic Committee over their dithering and handling of the affair. It follows Bridges herself speaking out and claiming that she had given evidence that she met the criteria to take part in the event.
Bridges, 21, was due to compete at the national omnium championships earlier this month after British Cycling initially agreed she met their eligibility standards. But she was blocked from competing by the UCI at the 11th hour before the national governing body announced a review of its own rulebook.
Archibald said the UCI had "chosen to delay action until it became sadly personal for one rider... that wasn't fair". And on the eve of this weekend's Nations Cup event in Glasgow, she issued a statement saying: "It is my opinion that the international governing bodies of several sports have let down transgender athletes, in particular transgender women, with their inclusion policies.
"These policies have put the athletes, their involvement in sport and their personal lives under intense scrutiny when all the athletes have done is follow the rules and enter a category they were encouraged to enter. I, too, feel let down by these policies. I feel let down by the International Olympic Committee who tell me there should be no assumed advantage for an athlete with a gender identity different to their sex.
"I read this and hear that my world titles, my Olympic medals, and the champions jerseys I have at home, were all won in a category of people who simply don't try as hard as the men. That losing to male androgenisation is not about biology, but mindset. They are wrong."
Bridges, who was in British Cycling's senior academy in 2019, came out as a transgender woman in October 2020. She continued to compete as a male during her transition, and in February won the men's points race at the British Universities' championships.
In a statement released earlier this month, Bridges slammed the "lack of clarity" in terms of why she had been blocked from competing and said she felt "relentlessly harassed and demonised" by the media. "I have provided both British Cycling and the UCI with medical evidence that I meet the eligibility criteria for transgender female cyclists, including that my testosterone limit has been far below the limit prescribed by the regulations for the last 12 months," she said.
"Despite the public announcement, I still have little clarity around their finding of my ineligibility under their regulations. I am an athlete, and I just want to race competitively again. No-one should have to choose between being who they are, and participating in the sport that they love."
