UK Athletics has banned transgender women from competing in the female categories of their United Kingdom competitions and events.

The ban comes a week after World Athletics announced their own outlawing of male-to-female transgender competitors who have been through male puberty competing in women's elite events.

The move received support from former Olympians such as swimmer Sharron Davies and decathlon great Daley Thompson, though it also came under fire from some LGBTQ+ campaign groups.

Both bans will come into force from March 31.

"UK Athletics notes the revised World Athletics Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes released on 23 March 2023 and coming into effect on 31 March 2023," a statement read.

"It is fair for athletes who have gone through male puberty to be excluded from the female category in Athletics.

"UK Athletics acknowledges and appreciates the efforts made by World Athletics to protect the female category in Athletics.

"From midnight on 31 March 2023, UK Athletics applies the World Athletics Transgender Regulations to all athletics competitions and events in the United Kingdom where the licence for the competition or event is granted by UK Athletics."

World Athletics was accused of "succumbing to political pressure" after ruling male-to-female transgender competitors who have been through male puberty will be prevented from competing in women's elite events.

There was also praise for its stance, notably from former Olympians including swimmer Sharron Davies and decathlon great Daley Thompson.

The global governing body for track and field announced its decision on Thursday, and it will come into force from March 31.

World Athletics said it had spoken to a wide range of stakeholders before reaching its conclusion, with president Sebastian Coe saying: "Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations.

"We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount."

Davies responded on Twitter, writing: "Thank you @sebcoe & @WorldAthletics for standing up for female athletes across the world who are worthy of fair sport"

Thompson added: "@sebcoe & @WorldAthletics have just given me another couple of reasons to love them."

The LGBTQ+ campaign group Stonewall took a different perspective, stating: "It is so disappointing to see World Athletics announce a unilateral ban on trans women in track and field events. Their own statement recognises that there are no trans women competing at an international level and that they have no specific evidence to justify the ban.

"We stand with trans people who now have the door closed on their chance to compete in athletic sports at an international level."

Athlete Ally, a US-based group which states its aim is to "champion LGBTQI+ equality", was also critical of the stance taken by World Athletics.

Its founder Hudson Taylor said: "We are beyond devastated to see World Athletics succumbing to political pressure instead of core principles of inclusion, fairness and non-discrimination for transgender athletes and athletes with intersex traits.

"The guidelines announced today go against inclusive guidelines from the International Olympic Committee as well as extensive research showing that transgender women do not have an inherent advantage in sport.

"Sebastian Coe states that these guidelines are an attempt to protect women's sport, but in fact these guidelines do nothing to address what we know to be the actual, proven threats to women's sports: unequal pay, rampant sexual abuse and harassment, lack of women in leadership and inequities in resources for women athletes.

"What these guidelines mean on a human level is that a young transgender girl who dreams of one day seeing herself on an Olympic stage will now have those dreams cruelly dashed."

While World Athletics says it has extensive research on athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD), it says its bank of information regarding transgender athletes is not as great.

It said: "There are currently no transgender athletes competing internationally in athletics and consequently no athletics-specific evidence of the impact these athletes would have on the fairness of female competition in athletics. In these circumstances, the council decided to prioritise fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion."

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said swimming's global governing body was acting in its "best interest" by launching measures that will see transgender women banned from racing against elite female competitors.

FINA [Federation Internationale de Natation] announced on Sunday that it would bar all transgender women who had experienced any stage of male puberty from racing in women's events.

It marked a distinct shift in policy for a major sport and was welcomed by long-time campaigners, including the British former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies.

There have been calls for other sports to following swimming's example and move away from eligibility policies that are based on testosterone limits; however, LGBT advocacy groups have strongly criticised FINA's move.

US-based group Athlete Ally said FINA's restrictions were "discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and not in line with the 2021 IOC [International Olympic Committee] principles".

The swimming authority said the regulation had been voted in by a 71.5 per cent majority after FINA commission members heard from an athletes' group, a science and medicine group, and a legal and human rights group.

Athletics has yet to commit to a similar policy, but Coe's indication of support for FINA's position points to that being a possibility in the future.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Coe said: "We see an international federation asserting its primacy in setting rules, regulations and policies that are in the best interest of its sport.

"This is as it should be. We have always believed that biology trumps gender and we will continue to review our regulations in line with this. We will follow the science.

"We continue to study, research and contribute to the growing body of evidence that testosterone is a key determinant in performance, and have scheduled a discussion on our regulations with our council at the end of the year."

Allyson Felix will retire at the end of the season as the most decorated female in the history of athletics.

After claiming gold and bronze in the 400m and 4x400m relay respectively at the Tokyo Olympics, the 36-year-old will retire having won 11 Olympic medals including seven gold.

In November 2018, Felix gave birth via emergency Caesarian at 32 weeks, but returned to the track less than a year later to become the most successful athlete in World Championships history.

Felix has the potential to add to her 13 world titles at this year's World Championships in Oregon in June

"As a little girl they called chicken legs, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a career like this," Felix wrote in an Instagram post.

"I have so much gratitude for this sport that has changed my life. I have given everything I have to running and for the first time I'm not sure I have anything left to give.

"I want to say goodbye and thank you to the people who have helped shape me the only way I know – with one last run."

In 2019, Felix contested the issue of maternity pay after revealing in the New York Times that sponsors Nike wanted to reduce her pay by 70 per cent once she became a mother. 

"This season isn't about the time on the clock, it's simply about joy," she said.

"This season, I'm running for women. I'm running for a better future for my daughter. I'm running for you."

The IAAF Diamond League begins in May in Doha.

Lamine Diack, the disgraced former president of World Athletics has died of natural causes at the age of 88, according to multiple reports.

World 200 metres bronze medallist Alex Quinonez has died at the age of 32 after reportedly being shot in Guayaquil.

The Ecuadorian sports ministry said Quinonez was found dead in the street on Friday.

Quinonez made history when he became the Ecuadorian athlete to win a global medal in a track event at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, and he held national records at every sprint distance.

The sports ministry tweeted: "With great sadness, we confirm the murder of our sportsman Alex Quinonez.

"We have lost a great sportsman, someone who allowed us to dream, who moved us....he was the greatest sprinter this country produced."

Spanish football club Barcelona said Quinonez had been a part of the athletics squad in their wider sporting set-up.

Ecuador president Guillermo Lasso tweeted on Saturday: "We are very sorry for the painful loss of Alex Quinonez, father, son, a great sprinter. Our sincere condolences to his loved ones. Rest in peace.

"Those who take the lives of Ecuadorians will not go unpunished. We will act forcefully."

Colombia's world and Olympic 400m silver medallist Anthony Zambrano, a training partner of Quinonez's, posted on social media: "Brother, I cannot believe it’s true.

"We do not deserve this. What awful news. It's a shame that life is such, but to die one has to be alive. You are great and I will always cherish you in my heart."

Barcelona stated: "Alex Quinonez had been an FC Barcelona athlete for three years since 2018."

The club's athletics technical director Vicente Egido said: "The whole athletics community is shocked by this news. Alex was an excellent person and very much a Barca man, and who was highly committed to competing, and enjoying competing, for Barca."