FINA votes to restrict transgender swimmers

FINA is working to establish an “open” category for swimmers whose gender identity differs from their sex.

The ruling passed with 71 percent of the vote from members of the 152 eligible national federations at the congress during the world championships in Budapest.

“Fina’s approach in drafting this policy was comprehensive, science-based and inclusive,” Brent Nowicki, FINA’s executive director, told British Broadcasting Corporation. “And importantly, FINA’s approach emphasized competitive fairness.”

The regulations come three months after the University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas became the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I swimming title, finishing first in the 500-meter freestyle. Her rise intensified a debate about transgender swimmers’ place in the sport. Thomas recently said she hopes to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Hundreds of swimmers signed a letter in support of Thomas and all transgender and nonbinary swimmers. But some of Thomas’s teammates and their parents wrote anonymously that while they support Thomas’s transition, they felt her competing against other women was unfair.

FINA plans to use the next six months creating the “open” category for competitions.

“FINA will always welcome every athlete,” president Husain Al-Musallam said. “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.”

British former swimmer Sharron Davies tweeted her support for FINA’s decision.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of my sport … for doing the science, asking the athletes/coaches and standing up for fair sport for females,” her tweet read. “Swimming will always welcome everyone no matter how you identify but fairness is the cornerstone of sport.”

Meanwhile, Athlete Ally, an LGBT advocacy group that created a supportive letter for Thomas in February, disagreed with the new policy.

“FINA’s new eligibility criteria for transgender athletes and athletes with intersex variations is discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and not in line with the 2021 IOC principles,” its tweet read. “If we truly want to protect women’s sports, we must include all women.”

Swimming joins other sports that have created restrictions for transgender athletes. On Thursday, cycling’s governing body, the International Cycling Union, announced riders transitioning genders must wait longer before they can compete.