World Athletics President Lord Coe has hinted that the sport could pursue swimming by banning trans women from elite women’s races, insisting “justice is non-negotiable”.
The landmark decision set swimming apart from almost all other Olympic sports, with most using testosterone limits as a basis for inclusion.
But Lord Coe has now revealed that World Athletics is considering discussing a new eligibility policy and welcomed Fina’s move.
“We see an international federation claiming its primacy in setting rules, regulations and policies that are in the best interest of its sport,” he told BBC Sport.
“This is the way it should be. We have always believed that biology prevails over gender and we will continue to revise our regulations accordingly. We will follow science.
“We continue to study, research and contribute to the growing body of evidence that testosterone is a key determinant of performance, and we have scheduled a discussion of our regulations with our board at the end of the year.”
What is the background?
Under Lord Coe, World Athletics has already introduced rules limiting testosterone levels to five nanometers per liter (5nmol / L) for trans athletes and for race-to-sex (DSD) competitors in some women’s running events. And with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently assigning responsibility to individual federations to set their own eligibility criteria, other sports are now introducing tougher policies. Last week, the world governing body of cycling, the UCI, lowered the permitted testosterone level from 5nmol / L to 2.5nmol / L and doubled the time before a trans rider could race in two years. But Fina has gone further after a report by a scientific committee that found that male adolescence meant that trans women retained a “relative performance advantage over organic females” even after taking testosterone-lowering medication. It is only the second governing body of the Olympics, after World Rugby in 2020, to ban trans athletes, but it now seems increasingly likely that the track could follow suit. On Monday, FIFA, the world governing body for football, also said it was “currently reviewing gender adequacy regulations in consultation with stakeholders.” However, FIFA added that “it is not in a position to comment on the details of the proposed amendments to the existing regulations”. “We were always trying to find a waterway. We did not want to be stigmatized,” said Lord Coe, who was in Budapest as a Fina guest as she made her decision at a special general conference at the weekend. “But when the impetus comes, if it is a crisis between inclusion and justice, we will always fall on the side of justice – that to me is non-negotiable. “The integrity of women’s sport is really, very important here, and we can not have a generation of young girls who believe that there is no future for them in the sport. So we have a responsibility… to maintain the primacy and integrity of women in the competition is absolutely vital, and that is why we were at the forefront of tabling those regulations that allow you to get as close to a level playing field as possible. “These regulations are always under review … if there are events, distances or industries that we think are being unfairly affected, of course we will look at them again in the light of science.” Fina’s new policy means that transgender American swimmer Lia Thomas, who has expressed a desire to compete for a place at the Paris Olympics, has now been barred from competing in the women’s category. The board says it will aim to create an “open” category in competitions for swimmers whose gender identity is different from their birth sex. Her policy does not apply to national federations or US college championships, the NCAA, in which Thomas recently won the women’s 500-yard freestyle. Instead, every national federation – including British swimming – will have to decide whether to implement Fina policy. British Swimming told BBC Sport that “it will take time to reconsider [the policy’s] content »before making any further comment. With the debate over the inclusion of trans women among the most controversial in sports, Fina’s decision has already divided opinions. Former British swimmer Karen Pickering told BBC Radio 4: “I mean there will be people who can no longer compete in the gender category. This is very sad and I understand, but in this situation the participation and “Justice cannot be compatible and science has shown that there is no way to make it compatible.” Four-time Olympian Kate Campbell – who had addressed members of the governing body before the decision was made – called on them to “keep the cornerstone of justice”. However, also Australian swimmer Maddie Groves criticized Campbell’s comments, asking on Twitter if “is it okay to expel an already marginalized team?” A spokesman for LGBT rights group Stonewall said: “In sport, integration should always be the starting point. Everyone deserves to benefit from the sense of well-being and community that sport brings – and that includes trans people. “The inflammatory rhetoric surrounding the inclusion of trans people in elite competition only serves to perpetuate an atmosphere where trans people feel reluctant to play community sports with friends or go to the gym. “The inclusion of trans people in sport is a complex, evolving field that requires nuances, a well-documented debate. A debate armed by those seeking the complete removal of trans people from public life does not serve sport or trans people well.” Meanwhile, US women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe, one of the most important voices in sports, has said she is a “100% supporter” of trans inclusion. “Show me the evidence that trans women get everyone’s scholarships, dominate every sport, win every title. I’m sorry, it just doesn’t happen,” she told Timeexternal-link magazine. “I’m sure we can understand it. But we can not start from the opposite. This is hard. And honestly, it ‘s just disgusting. We put everything through’ God make a trans person successful in sports. ‘ reality and take a step back “.
