World Athletics may follow FINA’s restriction on transgender women competing against biological women in swimming at the elite level.
Sebastian Coe
, the president of World Athletics, said his governing body for professional track and field events was examining data and statistics on the issue, adding another review on transgender participation in sports as FIFA is also reassessing eligibility policies
.
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“We continue to study, research and contribute to the growing body of evidence that testosterone is a key determinant in performance, and have scheduled a discussion on our regulations with our council at the end of the year,” Coe said to BBC Sport
.
FINA’s new policy, approved by 71% of national federation members, bans transgender women from competing in women’s swim events if they have not transitioned before the age of 12. FINA also plans to create “open” meets in which all athletes can compete.
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“FINA’s approach in drafting this policy was comprehensive, science-based and inclusive, and, importantly, FINA’s approach emphasized competitive fairness,” Brent Nowicki, the governing body’s executive director, said to the BBC.
The move follows a controversy in which swimmer Lia Thomas became the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division 1 title earlier in the year.
