Sweden's Clara Ternstrom competes during the Artistic Swimming Solo Technical Preliminary at the 19th FINA World Championships held in Budapest, Hungary on June 17, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)
World swimming's governing body FINA has decided to restrict transgender athletes from competing in women's events.
BUDAPEST, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Swimming's world governing body FINA has decided on Sunday to restrict transgender athletes from competing in women's competitions.
"FINA does not want to ban anyone from competing. FINA is for inclusion and events are open to anyone, regardless of gender. But at the same time it stands up for women's disciplines and will decide who can take part in FINA's competitions on a strictly scientific basis," FINA said in a statement.
FINA Member Federations voted on Sunday in support of the new FINA policy on gender inclusion presented at the FINA Extraordinary General Congress 2022. 71.5 percent was in favor of the new policy.
"Male-to-female athletes (transgender women) can compete in the women's category in FINA competitions if they can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12, whichever is later," said the official document entitled Policy on Eligibility for the Men's and Women's Competition Categories.
Lia Thomas of the United States became the first transgender NCAA champion, winning the women's 500-yard freestyle earlier this year. ■
