The debate over transgender athletes has been personified recently by Lia Thomas, the swimmer who had average results in men’s competition but dominated in women’s swimming.
Now, the international governing body for swimming has announced a change it says will allow transgender swimmers to compete while also preserving integrity in women’s swimming.
World Aquatics announced Tuesday it will create an “Open” category for transgender swimmers. The announcement stands in sharp contract to last year’s policy change that effectively banned transgender swimmers from competing in women’s events.
World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam did not announce a timeline for the change, but the AP reports the new policy could be in place later this year.
“It was very important that we protected fair competition for our female athletes,” Al-Musallam said (via the AP). “But you have heard me say many times there should be no discrimination. Nobody should be excluded from our competitions.
“Our sport must be open to everybody.”
Many athletic sanctioning bodies are dealing with the transgender issue, with varying policies. For example, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced in early July that trans cyclists will be banned from competing in all women’s events if they “transitioned after (male) puberty.”
Fans generally thought the World Aquatics announcement is a step in the right direction.
Would make a lot more sense if there was only one open category but maybe this is going somewhere
— Red Faster (@RedFaster1) July 26, 2023
[AP]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.