As part of its new policy, FINA voted on Sunday to restrict transgender athletes’ participation in top women’s competitions and to create a working group to establish a “open” category for them in select events.
As sports try to strike a balance between diversity and ensuring that no one has an unfair edge, transgender rights have become a hot topic. After winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle at the University of Pennsylvania earlier this year, Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history.
Thomas has expressed an interest in competing in the Olympics, but the new FINA rule would prevent her from doing so.
After hearing a report from a transgender task force comprised of top medical, legal, and sporting leaders, FINA adopted the most stringent decision of any Olympic sports body during its extraordinary general meeting. Male-to-female transgender athletes are only eligible to compete if “they can establish to FINA’s full satisfaction that they have not undergone any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later,” according to the revised FINA eligibility regulation.
After being put to the members of 152 national federations with voting rights who had convened for the congress in the Puskas Arena, the policy was passed with an approximately 71 percent majority.
“We must preserve our athletes’ rights to compete, but we must also protect competitive fairness at our events, particularly in the women’s category at FINA championships,” FINA President Husain Al-Musallam stated. FINA will always extend a warm welcome to all athletes. The introduction of an open category will provide everyone with the opportunity to compete at a high level. Because this has never been done before, FINA will have to take the lead. I want all athletes to feel included in this process and to be able to develop suggestions.”
Those who have “total androgen insensitivity and hence could not experience male puberty” are now eligible under the new FINA regulation.
Swimmers who have had their “male puberty repressed commencing at Tanner Stage 2 or before the age of 12, whichever comes first, and they have subsequently continually kept their testosterone levels in serum (or plasma) below 2.5 nmol/L” are also eligible to compete in women’s races.
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
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