United States Biathlon Association:
Transgender and Non-Binary Athlete Policy
Introduction/Purpose
The mission of the U.S. Biathlon Association is to foster the growth of the biathlon community in the U.S., develop athletes with integrity, and achieve international and Olympic success. Our vision is to stand atop the international biathlon stage and be a leading organization for supporting athletes and clubs, prioritizing athlete wellbeing, and acting with integrity.
We recognize that to achieve both our mission and vision we must continue to be an inclusive organization and work to provide opportunities to all who are interested in exploring biathlon as an athlete, fan or supporter. As such, we aim to provide guidance to USBA member clubs as to how non-IBU age class athletes who identify as transgender or non-binary may compete and participate in biathlon in the US. This policy applies to the following age classes: Masters, U17, U15, and younger (“USBA Age Classes”) athletes. US Biathlon will continue to follow the current policy set forth by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) for all Youth, Junior, and Senior class athletes (“IBU Age Classes”).
**Note, for non-sanctioned races, clubs may allow transgender or non-binary athletes in the IBU classes to follow this policy. US Biathlon will enforce this policy only for US Biathlon sanctioned events, such as US Nationals and trials races.
Definitions
Transgender boys or men are boys or men who were assigned female at birth.
Transgender girls or women are girls or women who were assigned male at birth.
Non-binary people are those who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the binary categories of male or female. Not all nonbinary people identify as transgender.
Gender Identity is someone’s personal sense of themself as a woman, a man, both, neither, or in-between. Gender identity may or may not align with a person’s sex assigned at birth.
Policy
All athletes in USBA Age Classes (Masters, U17, U15 and younger) may participate in the gender category that best aligns with their gender identity without restrictions, medical intervention, or proof of gender.
Once an athlete selects a gender category for the season, they must compete in the same category for the remainder of the season. They may not switch categories during that season without receiving permission from an approval panel. The panel shall consist of the US Biathlon AAC Rep., US Biathlon Director of Athlete Development, and US Biathlon Director of Operations. Approval should be requested in writing via email directly to one of these panel members. Each season shall start and end with the IBU season calendar (November 1- October 31).