FINA Restricts Transgender Women From Competing at Elite Level

Lia Thomas, the transgender woman on the University of Pennsylvania’s swim team, has become the face of the debate over sports and gender identity. She won the N.C.A.A. championship in the 500-yard women’s freestyle this year after previously being ranked 65th while competing in the men’s division. In March, she said she had aspirations to swim at the U.S. Olympic trials.

FINA is looking at an additional, open category, al-Musallam added, to enable every athlete “the opportunity to compete at an elite level.”

FINA Members Federations voted Sunday to adopt the policy, the organization said in the statement, adding that 71.5 percent of members had been in favor of adopting it.

The policy was devised by a working group set up in November that included athletes, scientists and medical and legal experts, it added.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/19/sports/fina-transgender-women-elite-swimming.html