The soap opera continues. And there is no doubt that this will not be the final episode given the complexity of this ethical-sporting subject. The U.S. Swimming Federation is set to unveil new rules targeting transgender athletes. A reaction to the controversies surrounding the performances of college swimmer Lia Thomas, who was born male.
USA Swimming, torn between concern for inclusion and protection of sporting fairness, clarified that these new rules will apply immediately at the elite level. The federation will impose two criteria which will be examined by a medical panel. First, it will be necessary to provide “proof that the athlete’s previous physical development, as a man, and although attenuated by any medical intervention, does not give the athlete a competitive advantage over his female competitors. cisgender (people who identify with their biological sex at birth, Editor’s note)”.
On the other hand, “proof that the athlete’s serum testosterone concentration has been continuously below 5 nmol/L for a period of at least thirty-six months prior to the date of the request”. Internationally, this testosterone level limit is required over a shorter period (one year). It is on this basis that the transgender athlete CeCe Telfer was excluded from the American Olympic selections in June 2021.
At the heart of the debate, athletes who began their transition after puberty
This new regulation will come into force in the coming days. Be in time for the national university championships (NCAA), which begin on March 16 in Atlanta (Georgia). “These new, drastic restrictions appear to be direct retaliation against Lia Thomas,” reacted Anne Lieberman, one of the directors of Athlete Ally, which campaigns for the broader inclusion of transgender people in sport.
The controversy around Lia Thomas, 22, was born from her very good results this season, the first for women. At the beginning of December, in Akron (Ohio), she achieved the best performances of the year at the university level in the 200 yards (183 meters) free and in the 500 yards (457 meters) free.
The swimmer complied with NCAA rules, submitting to a year-long testosterone suppression treatment. But some organizations, such as the Women’s sports policy working group, have found these rules insufficient, especially in the case where an athlete began her transition after puberty, as is her case.
“Lia is over-performing in women’s events,” says the “Women’s sports policy working group”, which includes former tennis star Martina Navratilova and four-time Olympic swimming medalist (Los Angeles, 1984), Nancy Hogshead. – Makar. The latter welcomed Wednesday on Twitter the decision of USA Swimming to “prioritize biological women”.
No “scientific consensus” on the role of testosterone, according to the IOC
The subject has taken a political turn in the United States, where several conservative states have recently passed laws to block the path of young transgender girls to women’s sports in school. “We will ban men from participating in women’s competitions,” Donald Trump also launched on January 15 at a meeting in Arizona.
Five months after the first participation in the Summer Olympics of a transgender sportswoman, in weightlifting, the question remains a headache for sports institutions. In November, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) passed the ball back to each sport, pointing out the lack of “scientific consensus on the role of testosterone in performance across all sports”.