(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) FINA, the body that governs international swimming competitions, banned post-pubescent transgender athletes from competing in a normal division, but created a transgender division that would require boys to begin transitioning at an earlier age.
The policy passed overwhelmingly. ABC News reported, “The policy was passed with a roughly 71% majority after it was put to the members of 152 national federations.”
FINA President Husain Al-Musallam told MSNBC Sports that the transgender issue is “a delicate balancing act.”
Mussallam argued that FINA had to “protect the rights of all our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially women’s competition and also the past record and achievement of the women.”
There are currently no men competing in women’s swimming under FIMA’s jurisdiction, but it would likely prohibit Lia Thomas, the UPenn transgender swimmer, from competing against women in the Olympics, according to the New York Post.
The structure and regulations of the so-called “open division” were unclear. FINA stated it has appointed “a new working group that will spend the next six months looking at the most effective ways to set up this new category.”
This new policy is only a partially rational change from UPenn telling women they need psychological help if they objected to competing against a male.
The new rule would not prevent males who “transition” before the age of 12 from competing in women’s swimming. If a boy hoped to compete in Olympic swimming, he would have to begin altering his biology before the age of 12.
James Peace, the official spokesperson for FINA’s President Mussallam, noted, “You can’t transition by that age [12 years old] in most countries.”
FINA’s requirement to begin transitioning before the age of 12 is even earlier than recommended by transgender activists.
The Associated Press reported that “the World Professional Association for Transgender Health said hormones could be started at age 14.”
