The American Swimming Federation has announced its new policy for the participation of trans female swimmers in high-level swimming competitions.
According to the federation, a commission of three independent physicians will now decide on the basis of these criteria whether transgender female swimmers can compete:
- Evidence that the growth and development of the athlete’s previous body as a male, which has been slowed down by any medical intervention, does not make him superior to female athletes (cis).
- The serum testosterone level in the athlete’s blood was less than 5 nanomoles per liter 36 months prior to applying for the license.
This new policy for swimmers aged 13 to 14 in the United States will take effect today.
Trance test for men and women
The American Swimming Federation said in a statement after the announcement of the new policy that it “will continue to defend gender justice and the inclusion of all transgender and transgender women and their right to exercise,” while “strongly advocating for justice in high-level competition.”
The federation also said it “recognizes the difference in the level of competition in men’s and women’s competitions, which manifests itself in high-level face-to-face competitions.”
According to the American Swimming Federation, a statistical study shows that the best female swimmers in the 2021 rankings are ranked 536th on average in the men’s 25-meter swim competition in the United States and 326th in the 50-meter swim.
The American Swimming Federation said the new policy aims to “reduce the benefits of puberty and male physiology” and is based on “evidence-based medical and scientific methods that create the same conditions for elite female athletes to compete.”
The new policy was announced after a transgender woman on the University of Pennsylvania swimming team broke records by a wide margin and caused a great deal of controversy.
Leah Thomas, a 22-year-old transgender swimmer who competed in men’s competitions for three seasons but has been on hormone therapy since 2019, joined the University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming team, breaking all her university records and becoming the fastest female swimmer.
Less than a month ago, Leah Thomas finished 38 seconds ahead of runner-up at the National University Sports Association of America.
In a statement, Leah Thomas’s teammates expressed their “complete support” for her as a member of the University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming and diving team:
“We value her as an individual, a teammate and a friend,” and the anonymous statements in the media “do not reflect the feelings, values or views of all members of the University of Pennsylvania team, which is made up of 39 women with diverse backgrounds.”
But it is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
Leah Thomas declined to comment publicly, except in an interview in which she said: “It’s not at all helpful and healthy for me to read and engage with this issue, so I’m not doing this and I have nothing more to say.”
Last month, students’ parents wrote a letter to the National Association of University Sports of the United States calling for a change in regulations for transgender swimmers.
“There is no chance this year. They are training hard but they know they can not beat Leah,” the Washington Post quoted one of them as saying.
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