FINA votes to restrict transgender women from elite swimming events

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Swimming’s world governing body on Sunday voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in women’s event and to create a group to establish an “open” category in some events.

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FINA’s new policy, which takes effect Monday, will require transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 in order to compete in women’s events, ESPN reported. The working group will spend the next six months determining how to set up the new open category, according to the sports news network.

The new policy was passed with 71.5% of the vote from 152 FINA members, the BBC reported. The move was described as “only a first step toward full inclusion” for transgender athletes.

The decision was made during FINA’s general congress on the sidelines of the world championships in Budapest, Hungary. ESPN reported. Members heard a report from a transgender task force comprising leading medical, legal and sports figures.

In a statement, FINA said that athletes transitioning from male to female will be eligible to compete only if “they can establish to FINA’s comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later.”

“We have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women’s category at FINA competitions,” FINA President Husain Al-Musallam said in a statement. “FINA will always welcome every athlete. The creation of an open category will mean that everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level. This has not been done before, so FINA will need to lead the way. I want all athletes to feel included in being able to develop ideas during this process.”

The new ruling comes three months after Lia Thomas became the first transgender woman to win an NCAA championship when she captured first place in the 500-meter freestyle, according to Bleacher Report.

Thomas told Sports Illustrated in March that she wants to continue competing after college and has a goal of reaching the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials, ESPN reported.

Thomas declined to comment on the new policy to ESPN.

“This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair,” James Pearce, a spokesperson for Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press. “They’re not saying everyone should transition by age 11, that’s ridiculous. You can’t transition by that age in most countries and hopefully you wouldn’t be encouraged to. Basically, what they’re saying is that it is not feasible for people who have transitioned to compete without having an advantage.”

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