FINA, the international swimming governing body, has adopted new policy for transgender swimmers, which will take effect on Monday.
Only swimmers who transitioned before the age of 12 will be allowed to compete in women’s events under the gender inclusiveness policy. The revised regulations were approved by 71.5 percent of FINA members.
A suggestion for a new open competition policy was also made. The organization announced the formation of a new working group that would spend the next six months determining the most efficient methods for establishing this new category.
FINA outlined out how transgender men and women would be permitted to compete under the new regulations in a 24-page document announced Sunday.
FINA said that transgender males are allowed to compete in FINA competitions and achieve world records in the men’s division unless they meet the following criteria:
“For the disciplines of Water Polo and High Diving, the athlete must provide to FINA an assumption of risk form signed and dated by the athlete or if the athlete is a minor, by their legal proxy” or,
“All athletes who are undergoing treatment involving testosterone or other anabolic substances as part of female-to-male gender affirming hormone treatment are required to obtain a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for that treatment in accordance with the FINA Doping Control Rules.”
Transgender women and athletes whose legal gender and/or gender identity is female are permitted to compete in FINA-sanctioned events if they can demonstrate to FINA’s satisfaction that they have not gone through any stage of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 or before the age of 12, whichever is later.
Transgender athletes who do not satisfy the qualifying requirements may compete in any future open events that the organization may arrange.
