Olympian Inga Thompson was reportedly let go from her role on the board of directors of a cycling organization on Thursday after encouraging women to stand against transgender participation in women’s sports, according to reports.
Thompson previously took to Twitter to encourage women to take a knee in protest against the Union Cyclise Internationale’s transgender inclusion policy. She also encouraged team managers to take a vocal stance against transgender inclusion. (RELATED: Hakeem Jeffries Says Issue Of Men In Women’s Sports ‘Doesn’t Really Exist’)
“It is time for Women Cyclist to start protesting @UCI_cycling Policy. Start taking a knee at the starting lines,” Thompson tweeted. “Team managers need to speak up and protect their riders. Hold signs at every race ‘Save Women’s Sports.’”
Thompson’s tweet came a week after transgender cyclist Austin Killips, a biological man, won The Tour of the Gila, the New York Post reported.
Cynisca, an American pro women’s cycling team, released a statement stating that “Inga Thompson is no longer a member of the Cynisca board of directors and will have no consulting or any other role with Cynisca. The association with Ms. Thompson has affected Cynisca’s brand and reputation.”
“If shared in the absence of politics, her knowledge and experience would benefit many and advance cycling for everyone. However, she has decided to dedicate her time to excluding people that are otherwise and currently eligible to compete in UCI events. She has also attempted to use our team as a platform for her political activity,” the statement continued.
3 time Olympian Women’s Cyclist Inga Thompson has called on female cyclists to Boycott and Protest any competition that featured a biological male in the female category.
3 time silver medal 🥈 winning cyclist @ithompsonfdn has said: “It’s time for Women Cyclists to start… pic.twitter.com/6sW85rFKtV
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 8, 2023
Thompson has supported an open category in which trans athletes could compete rather than allowing them in the women’s category. Thompson recently appeared on Fox News to encourage female cyclists to speak out against trans athletes in women’s sports.
“It’s like the media really has effectively shut down all dialogue about this and so many of us on the outside are trying to be this voice, to give the women the confidence to speak up without fear of losing their sponsorship,” Thompson said.