Colombian court orders volleyball league to reverse its ban on trans players

A Columbian volleyball league must allow trans athletes to take part in sporting events, a court has ruled.

The Liga Antioqueña de Voleibol, a Colombian volleyball league regulator in Antioquia, was ordered by a constitutional court to amend its policies excluding trans people from its competitions.

An unnamed trans athlete sued the sports regulator after it banned her from competing in women’s volleyball matches midway through a tournament.

Despite competing in Antioquia matches for over a decade without issue, officials barred the player from participating in female events after introducing a policy excluding trans competitors from leagues consistent with their gender identity.

In a Wednesday (1 October) ruling, a three-panel judge argued the policy violated the player’s human rights and her constitutional right to dignity and equality.

Judges Natalia Ángel Cabo and José Fernando Reyes Cuartos argued there is no scientific evidence to suggest that trans athletes have an inherent competitive advantage over cisgender athletes, noting that physical ability is more commonly linked to “body composition,” training, and nutrition.

The court further argued that the regulator went too far by basing its policy on sex assigned at birth over other factors such as hormone levels.

Judge Cristina Pardo Schlesinger held her vote in the final decision, according to the constitutional court.

Ruling judges noted that the trans player had already competed in at least four tournament matches without objection prior to the regulator passing its policy, which called its purpose into question.

The regulator, judges argued, didn’t sufficiently justify its decision to ban the player since there were no complaints by fellow competitors and the athlete had caused no incidents because of a purported advantage in the game.

Court judges ordered officials to allow the player to finish competing in the tournament and to change its policy, with help from the Ministry of Sport, to eliminate any measures excluding trans people from sporting events.

Policies banning trans athletes have gripped sporting regulators over the past years because of spurious claims of a “biological advantage” over cisgender competitors.

A 2024 study backed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), however, suggested that trans athletes can actually face disadvantages in sports, due to changes in muscle mass and cardiovascular ability.