Table Tennis England has created a Transgender Policy and is seeking feedback from the table tennis community during a consultation period which is now open.

Table Tennis England has been developing its Transgender Policy for some time, which sets out our position on the inclusion of transgender and non-binary people in table tennis. The policy has now been approved by the Table Tennis England board and takes into account the recent Supreme Court judgment on the meaning of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010.

Click here to read the policy in full.

Table tennis prides itself on being an open sport which anyone can enjoy and we want to ensure that we are welcoming, accessible and attractive to everyone. We celebrate the diversity and inclusivity of our sport.

We have now begun a consultation period, which remains open until 23.59 on Sunday 20 July, to gather people’s thoughts on this policy and understand how it may affect their participation in our sport.

What are the key points of the Transgender Policy?

The policy specifically relates to trans people who play or seek to play table tennis in regulated events. It sets out the eligibility for event categories according to a person’s gender.

The policy does not specifically apply to trans people who are coaches, match officials, volunteers or have any other role within the sport of table tennis, although Table Tennis England also expects all affiliated organisers to apply the same principles of inclusion to any such individuals.

Our Transgender Policy states that the following changes will come into effect for the 2026/27 season for playing eligibility in TTE regulated events. Non-regulated and recreational activity remain unchanged.

• Eligibility in the women’s competition is for biological women only
• Eligibility for transgender women (biological men) and self-identifying men is in the men’s competition
• Eligibility for transgender men (biological women) is in the men’s competition

The policy does not apply to any table tennis covered by the Talent & Performance Eligibility Regulations or to any other table tennis competitions, events or tournaments which are not governed by Table Tennis England.

Any player wishing to participate in table tennis at a local/grassroots level including in any nonregulated competition or event may do so, without restriction.

How to take part in the consultation

Please provide your thoughts and feedback via our online survey, which will remain open until midnight on Sunday 20 July 2025.

You will not be identifiable through your responses to this survey, therefore please be as honest as possible in your answers. If you are under the age of 16 please ensure you have a parent or guardian present with you whilst completing the survey.

If any changes to the policy are required following the consultation, these will be made and provided to the Board of Directors at the end of 2025.

For further background on this subject, please see the UK’s Sports Councils Guidance for Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport.