British Triathlon launches groundbreaking pregnancy policy for women in sport

In January 2025, British Triathlon became the first national governing body in triathlon to introduce a pregnancy deferral policy for its Age Group team. 

This allows women who qualify for an Age Group Championship race to defer their place in the Great Britain Team for up to two years after the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of their child. 

Here, Eleanor Green and Catherine Forshaw explore how the policy works and why it marks a positive step forward for women in sport by supporting female athletes in balancing motherhood with their sporting ambitions. 

Pregnancy deferral policy

A pregnancy deferral policy is already established for British Triathlon’s World Class Programme. This supported Team GB's first female triathlete Olympic medallist Vicky Holland, who returned to triathlon after giving birth to her daughter in January 2023. The following year she won the European Triathlon Championship, aged 38.

British Triathlon has now gone one step further and extended its support to women in its Age Group team, which comprises of non-professional athletes who can compete for Great Britain at age groups from below 19 all the way up to 80 years of age.

This policy was co-developed with Age Group athletes themselves over the past six months, giving a voice to those directly impacted by it. It ensures that women who become pregnant after securing a spot on the team can return to training when they’re ready without feeling pressured to come back too early. 

To benefit from the policy, athletes must contact British Triathlon via an online ‘Return to Racing’ form and provide a copy of the child's birth certificate or a medical practitioner's letter in the event of a stillbirth or miscarriage.

Significance of the policy

Unfortunately, at least 10% of women suffer from post-partum depression. Having a family is a huge commitment that requires women to place their careers on hold and experience enormous changes to their bodies. 

Female athletes must face the ultimate endurance event — finding a way to balance training and a newborn baby. It’s therefore no surprise that there are times when female athletes consider giving up sport altogether, especially when that sport offers them no support before, during or after childbirth. 

This policy is a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for female athletes. It acknowledges the physical and mental challenges of pregnancy and motherhood and provides a framework for athletes to return to competition at their own pace.

Lauren Weston — who has been in the Age Group team for over three years — has spoken out about the positive impact that the policy has had on both her sporting career and mental health. 

"Understandably I was absolutely delighted to hear the pregnancy deferral policy was being introduced. Having trained up until 38 weeks pregnant, knowing I could get back to racing kept me fit physically and mentally throughout my pregnancy and led me to have a very successful birth.” 

A groundbreaking initiative

British Triathlon's pregnancy deferral policy is a groundbreaking initiative that supports female athletes in balancing their sporting ambitions with raising a family — two things that shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. By providing a flexible and supportive framework, the policy ensures that women can continue to pursue their passion for triathlon without compromising their roles as mothers.

There’s hope that British Triathlon has set a precedent for other national governing bodies to follow — promoting gender equality and supporting athletes in their dual roles as competitive athletes and mothers.

If you need advice about the issues discussed here or want to talk about how the changing landscape of women’s sport could affect you or your organisation, our specialist sports sector team is here to help.

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