The International Swimming Federation (FINA) will ban transgender athletes from competing in elite women’s competitions if they have gone through any part of the male puberty process.
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The new regulation requires female athletes to complete a gender reassignment by the age of 12 or not to go beyond the so-called Tanner stage of puberty No. 2 (which begins physical adolescence), otherwise they will not be allowed to participate in women’s swimming competitions, he writes. BBC.
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FINA states that in the future it will focus on creating an “open” category for swimmers whose gender identity is different from their gender at birth.
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The decisions were preceded by numerous meetings of members of the federation with leading experts in the field of medicine, law and sports. The regulation was approved by more than 70 percent of member federations at an extraordinary congress during the ongoing World Cup in Budapest, writes the ESPN server.
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“The swimming federation’s approach to drafting this regulation was comprehensive, scientifically based and inclusive, and above all it emphasized fair competition,” said Brent Nowicki, Executive Director of FINA’s governing body.
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Former British national swimmer Sharron Davies, who has long opposed the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions, said she was proud of her swimming federation and her sport. She appreciated the fair approach to women’s sports and cooperation with competitors and coaches. “Swimming welcomes everyone, no matter how they identify themselves, but fairness is a cornerstone of the sport,” she added.
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In contrast, the Athlete Ally group, which fights for LGBT athletes’ rights, called the new regulation “discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and inconsistent with the International Olympic Committee’s 2021 principles.”
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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. If we truly want to protect women’s sports, we must include all women. https://t.co/MDjrWB6GrU
— Athlete Ally (@AthleteAlly) June 19, 2022
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The impact of the regulation will be felt, for example, by the American Lia Thomas, who in March became the first transgender swimmer to win the main American national university degree. However, from Monday, when the regulation enters into force, she is prohibited from participating in the women’s category of swimming competitions.
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Opinions on the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions differ both across experts and among the public. Many argue that transgender women should not compete in women’s sports because they have a physical advantage. On the other hand, there are opinions that sport should be more inclusive.
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- Tags: Swimming, transgender
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