Fina, the world’s governing body for swimming, has voted to stop transgender athletes from competing in elite women’s competitions if they have gone through any part of the male puberty process.
Fina will also strive to create an “open” category in competitions for swimmers whose gender identity is different from their gender at birth.
The new policy, which was adopted by 71% of Fina’s 152 members, was described as “only a first step towards full inclusion” for transgender athletes.
The 34-page policy paper states that transgender male athletes still have the right to compete in the women’s category, “provided they have not experienced any part of male puberty since Tanner’s stage 2. [which marks the start of physical development]or before the age of 12, whichever is later. “
The decision was made during an extraordinary general congress of the current World Cup in Budapest.
This means that the transgender American swimmer Leah Thomas, who has expressed a desire to compete for a place at the Olympic Games, will be blocked from participating in the women’s category.
Earlier, Fina members heard a report from a transgender working group made up of leading figures from the worlds of medicine, law and sports.
“Fina’s approach to this policy was comprehensive, scientifically sound and inclusive, and, importantly, Fina’s approach emphasized fair competition,” said Brent Nowitzki, executive director of the governing body.
Fina President Hussein Al-Musalam said the organization was trying to “protect the rights of our athletes to compete”, but also “to protect the fairness of the competition”.
He said: “Fina will always welcome every athlete. Creating an open category will mean that everyone has the opportunity to compete at the elite level. This has not been done so far, so Fina will have to lead. I want all athletes to feel involved in the ability to develop ideas during this process. “
Former British swimmer Sharon Davis, who opposes transgender participation in women’s elite swimming, told BBC Sport that she was “really proud of Fina”.
“Four years ago, along with 60 other Olympic medalists, I wrote to the IOC and said, ‘Please do science first,’ and no governing body has done science so far,” she said.
“It simply came to our notice then. They did the science, they had the right people on board, they talked to athletes and coaches.
“Swimming is a very inclusive sport, we all like to come and swim and participate. But the cornerstone of the sport is that it must be fair and it must be fair to both sexes.
Asked if Fina’s policy leaves trans athletes “in the dark” while they wait for an open category to be created, Davis praised Fina for talking about trans inclusion, which was supposed to “happen five years ago”.
“Sport is by definition exclusive – we don’t have 15-year-old boys competing under the age of 12, we don’t have heavyweight boxers with beds, the whole reason we have so many different Paralympic classes is to be able to create fair opportunities for everyone. “, she said.
“So that’s the whole point of classifications in sports, and the only people who would lose were women – they lost their right to fair play.”
However, Athlete Ally, an LGBT advocacy group that organized a letter in support of Thomas in February, called the new policy “discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and inconsistent with IOC 2021 principles.”
“The eligibility criteria for the women’s category, as set out in the policy, control the bodies of all women and will not be applicable without seriously violating the privacy and human rights of any athlete who wants to compete in the women’s category,” he said. An. Lieberman, director of group policy and programs.
Swimming follows cycling when the rules change
Fina’s decision follows a decision Thursday by the UCI, the cycling governing body, to double the period before a male-to-female competitor can compete in women’s competitions.
The problem with swimming was ejected into the spotlight from the experience of the American Thomas.
In March, Thomas became the first known transgender swimmer to win the highest title at the American National College with a victory in the 500-yard freestyle for women.
Thomas swam for the Pennsylvania men’s team for three seasons before starting hormone replacement therapy in the spring of 2019.
She has since broken records for her university swimming team.
More than 300 swimmers from college, the U.S. team and Olympic swimmers signed an open letter in support of Thomas and all transgender and non-binary swimmers, but other athletes and organizations expressed concerns about trance inclusion.
Some of Thomas’ teammates and their parents wrote anonymous letters in support of her right to transition, but added that it was unfair for her to compete as a woman.
USA Swimming updated its policy on elite swimmers in February to allow transgender athletes to swim in elite competitions, along with criteria aimed at reducing any unfair advantage, including testosterone tests for 36 months before competitions.
Last year, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics in a category other than the one in which they were born.
What did the expert group say?
Dr. Michael Joyner, physiologist and leading expert in human performance
“Testosterone in male puberty changes the physiological determinants of human performance and explains gender-based differences in human work, which are considered clearly visible until the age of 12.
“Even if testosterone is suppressed, its productivity-enhancing effects will be preserved.”
Dr. Adrian Giuko, activist, researcher and lawyer
“The policy emphasizes that no athlete is excluded from Fina’s competition or Fina’s record-setting based on their legal gender, gender identity or gender expression.
“[The proposed open category] it should not become a category that complements existing levels of discrimination and marginalization of these groups.
“I see this policy as just the first step towards full inclusion and support for the participation of transgender and gender-sensitive athletes in water sports, and there is still much to be done.”
Dr. Sandra Hunter, Exercise Physiologist, specializes in gender and age differences in athletic performance
“Up to 14 years or more, the difference between boys and girls is significant. This is due to the benefits they experience due to the physiological adaptations of testosterone and the possession of the Y chromosome.
“Some of these physical benefits are structural in origin, such as height, limb length, heart size, lung size, and they will be maintained, even with the suppression or reduction of testosterone that occurs in the transition from male to female.
Summer Sanders, former Olympic and world swimming champion
“This is not easy. There must be categories – women, men and of course a category for trans women and trans men.
“Fair competition is a fortress and a key element of our community – this approach ensures the integrity of the existing sports process, in which millions of girls and women participate each year.”
One of the biggest debates in sports
The conversation about the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports is divided into opinions both inside and outside the sports sphere.
Many argue that transgender women should not compete in women’s sports because of the benefits they can maintain – but others argue that sports should be more inclusive.
World Athletics President Lord Coe said the “integrity” and “future” of women’s sports would be “very fragile” if sports organizations mistaken rules for transgender athletes.
At the heart of the debate over whether transgender women athletes should compete in women’s sports involves the complex balance between inclusion, sports justice and safety – essentially whether trans women can compete in women’s categories without giving them an unfair advantage or a threat. from injuring competitors.
Trans women need to adhere to a number of rules in order to compete in specific sports, including in many cases lowering testosterone levels to a certain amount for a certain period of time before competing.
However, as highlighted in the Fina decision, there are concerns that athletes retain the advantage of going through male puberty, which is not solved by lowering testosterone.
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