This week, a number of sportsmen spoke out in favor of FINA’s decision to forbid biologically male transgender swimmers from participating in women’s competitions.
The worldwide governing organization for competitive swimming, FINA, revealed its decision to exclude transgender swimmers from competing in women’s top competitions this week, as Townhall reported. The new rule will, however, permit transgender swimmers who have finished their transition by the age of 12 to participate in women’s races and keep their circulating testosterone levels below 2.5 nmol/L.
Swimmer Emily Seebohm from Australia, who won gold in the Olympics, said Sky News Australia in an interview that “we just didn’t know what was going to happen” but that she is “finally happy that we have a decision.”
According to a representative for the Australian Olympic Committee, they support FINA’s decision.
Women have battled long and hard to be included and considered as equals in sport, according to Cate Campbell, a four-time Olympic swimming champion, who spoke to FINA before to the vote. The ruling body then decided in favor of the prohibition.
After biological male swimmer Will “Lia” Thomas participated in the women’s University of Pennsylvania swim team, the debate over biological male athletes in women’s sports gained attention in recent months. Thomas has previously participated in three straight seasons of competition for the men’s team. At the NCAA swimming championships in March, Thomas won the women’s Division I title.
Caitlyn Jenner, a former Olympian, supported the choice on Twitter.
“What’s fair is fair. If you go through male puberty you should not be able to take medals away from females. Period,” replied Jenner.
