On Tuesday, World Aquatics, the governing body for swimming, announced that it will create an “open” category to include transgender athletes.
The organization’s president, Husain Al-Musallam, made the announcement at the World Aquatics Congress in Fukuoka, Japan. He noted in his remarks that the event would take place in the future, but did not offer specifics.
“This is a very complex topic,” Al-Musallam said, according to the Associated Press. “But I am delighted to tell you today that we are now making plans for the first trial of an open category, and we hope to be able to confirm all the details soon.”
Al-Musallam added that “our sport must be open to everybody.”
BREAKING: World Aquatics has announced plans to create an "open category" for transgender swimmers in order to better protect female athletes.
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) July 25, 2023
The news comes one year after the sporting body ruled that males would be banned from women's elite competitions. pic.twitter.com/1fP8FDe43I
“It was very important that we protected fair competition for our female athletes. But, you have heard me say many times that there should be no discrimination. Nobody should be excluded from our competitions. This is why I announced last year that I would set up a committee to look at the best way to implement an open category,” he said.
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) responded to the news, pointing out that an “open” category “offers another place for advantaged male athletes to find achievement and recognition.”
“We have never created categories based on personal beliefs in sport and we never should,” the organization added. “Every person can compete fairly in two established categories based on sex.”
Our @WorldAquatics statement on addition of an "open" category:
— ICONS (@icons_women) July 26, 2023
A third category beyond Men and Women is another proposal to appease men at the expense of women. The men's category is already open to anyone who wants to participate. An additional "open" category offers another… https://t.co/WiqHVBS2Ci
Last year, Will “Lia” Thomas, who is a male that “identifies” as a woman, competed on the women’s swim team at the University of Pennsylvania after he competed on the men’s team for three years. Women who were forced to compete against Thomas, and, in some cases, share a locker room with him, have spoken out about their experiences.
Riley Gaines, a former swimmer for the University of Kentucky, tied with Thomas at the NCAA swimming championships. She has recounted several times that Thomas was allowed to take the trophy home from the event and she left empty handed.
Paula Scanlan, one of Thomas’ former teammates, told Matt Walsh in an interview that UPenn did not ask the girls how they felt about competing with Thomas and sharing a locker room with him.
“There was something going on in that athletic department that wanted to keep us quiet. And I was like, ‘this is getting scary,’” Scanlan explained in the interview. She said that girls were told in a meeting, without Thomas present, “do not talk to the media, you will regret it.”