Swimming’s international governing body, FINA, excluded transgenders from competing in the women’s category in a contentious ruling on Monday, with athletics and football following suit. Shashank Nair digs into the thorny issue of FINA’s proposed ‘Open’ category, which would allow trans-women.
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) ruled against permitting transgender athletes to compete in female competitions, with the proviso that the transition must have been accomplished before the age of 12.
A total of 274 members voted in favour of the policy, with 196 voting in favour. The verdict only applies to FINA’s elite tournaments. The BBC and British media stated that two other major sporting bodies, athletics and FIFA, were planning to follow swimming’s lead.
FINA President Husain Al-Musallam announced the formation of a Working Group to introduce an “open category” in several FINA tournaments. “The development of an open category will imply that everyone has the opportunity to participate at an elite level,” Musallam stated of the “open category.” “This has never been done before,” he continued, “so FINA will have to lead the way.”
Seb Coe, the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), later told the press: “We see an international federation establishing its authority in setting rules, laws, and policies that are in the best interests of its sport.”
This is exactly how it should be. We have always maintained that biology takes precedence over gender, and we will continue to assess our rules in this light. We’ll stick to the science. “
Gender campaigners were outraged by the move, which they claimed was based on exclusion.
