FINA’s president, Husain Al-Musallam, emphasized the importance of preserving competitive fairness while also ensuring inclusivity in aquatic competitions.
The new policy attempts to strike a balance by creating an “open” category where all athletes can compete at an elite level while maintaining distinct categories for male-to-female and female-to-male transgender athletes.
The Lia Thomas debate
Lia Thomas’s story exemplifies the complexities surrounding transgender athletes. And it has caused a public debate in the sports world.
Thomas is a 6’1″ biological male. After transitioning and joining the women’s team at Yale, she made history by becoming the national NCAA swimming champion in the women’s 500-yard freestyle.
Before her transition, she competed on the men’s team for three years. During that time she ranked in 554th place in the 200-yard freestyle.
Former Olympic gold medalist and transgender advocate Caitlyn Jenner expressed her views on the matter.
While supporting transgender rights, she claims that biological boys should not participate in women’s sports to protect the integrity of women’s competitions.
