Fina has adopted new rules for transgender athletes, allowing only swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. Fina members voted with 71.5% in favor of the new “gender inclusion policy”: it will apply to all its events from Monday. The proposal for a new category of “open” is also under consideration. The decision was made during the extraordinary general congress on the sidelines of the world championships in Budapest after members heard the report of a task force made up of medical, legal and sports figures presented to members of 152 national voting federations that they had gathered for the congress at the Puskas Arena. Fina underlines that it is setting up a “new working group that will spend the next six months looking for the most effective ways to create this new category”. The vote follows the recommendations given by the International Olympic Committee last November.
The regulations could have a major impact on the career of American Lia Thomas, the first known transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I title in the women’s class.