The World Swimming Coaches Association (WSCA) has released its position statement on transgender swimming.
It has been a year of debate with this issue within the sport, especially with the emergence of NCAA champion Lia Thomas. Many scientists and experts have weighed in.
The WSCA’s position is that the competitive balance of women’s swimming cannot be ensured with transgender athletes, though the group maintains its commitment to find a way to include transgender swimmers in a fair way, according to the report, which could eventually lead to a Trans Division.
“For the sport of swimming, the inclusion of transgender people on the grounds of fairness cannot co-exist in the current competitive model. Swimming should choose to offer competition in which the female category is protected for reasons of competitive fairness. … The World Swimming Coaches Association (WSCA) has an unequivocal agenda for the sport of swimming to be experienced in an environment where everyone can partake in the sport and where everyone is treated with both dignity and respect,” the report reads. “However, the inclusion of transgender people into female sport cannot be balanced with fairness due to the retained differences in strength, stamina and physique that are present when comparing the average female with the average transgender female/non-binary person who was assigned male at birth (whether with or without the involvement of testosterone suppression). This is the primary factor to be considered in an endeavour to balance fairness with inclusion.”
The WSCA said a possible solution is to create a Trans Division.
“Trans females cannot compete fairly with biological females; however, providing them with the competition that is predominantly that of competing against biological males becomes unfair to the Trans female. It is the exact mirror image for the Trans Male. He has the same biologic disadvantage that the trans female has as an advantage. Yet forcing him onto a female’s division would in many cases (and in the least) violate our doping rules,” the report stated. “One such solution is to create a Trans Division. The Trans Females will race each other. The Trans Males will race each other. There is an argument that the Trans Males have been completely lost in this debate because they are uncompetitive in our current structure. This would also allow those of indeterminate gender to be factored into such a solution.”
The report goes on to discuss the differences in the Special Olympics, Invictus Games and Paralympics, which all rely on biological factors.
“When the Paralympics started, it was called the Wheelchair Games. It was small. There were veterans’ and civilians’ divisions that have now disappeared. Now, classifications are based purely on biological factors … Thanks to the Kennedy Family, the Special Olympics was born. This group initially served those with intellectual development disabilities, and, primarily at that time, that with Downs Syndrome. It recognized the biological differences between children on a ‘regular’ intellectual development curve and those with developmental disabilities. … It seems that the British Royal Family’s interest in wounded warriors greatly aided the development of the Paralympics. In recent times, the Paralympics also serves those who have significant trauma, congenital disabilities, cancer surgeries, and suchlike within their lives. The biological difference between those with their legs blown off in war and someone running on two good legs is quite apparent. The Invictus Games has become another event on the calendar which supports such differences within the makeup of the athlete population.”
WSCA Summary Considerations for the Future
1. Fairness is paramount to all sports, including the sport of swimming;
2. The sport of swimming is gender affected and that manifests itself through the physical differences between males and females;
3. The sport of swimming rewards greater strength, stamina, and/or physique;
4. Sex categories within the sport of swimming exist to provide fairness and opportunity in competition;
5. Through a re-categorization process, the sport of swimming should offer an alternative competitive model which would ensure inclusion and fairness.
WSCA’s Key Pillars
1. WSCA is committed to the inclusion of all people in competitive swimming. The introduction of a new and different model within the competitive realms of our sport will offer an alternative option to meet the needs of all people;
2. Categorization through birth sex remains to be the most useful and functional division relative to sporting performance. This categorization acknowledges the broad range of significant performance differences between the sexes. Hence, the sport of swimming should retain traditional sex categorization – in association with age and, where appropriate, disability – whilst finding a model of inclusion for transgender athletes;
3. Evidence indicates that it is fair for transgender people to be included in the sport of swimming either within a Male category and/or as athletes racing within a Male category but additionally entered within an ‘Open’ category. This assumes that the transgender person will often be using testosterone supplementation, for which a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) will always be required under anti-doping rules that must apply evenly to all athletes in competitive swimming, regardless of category;
4. Competitive fairness cannot be reconciled with self-identification into the female category in a gender-affected sport such as swimming. The average differences in strength, stamina, and physique between the sexes is significant. Transgender females are, on average, likely to retain physical advantages listed above even if testosterone suppression is utilized;
5. Categorization by sex is lawful, and hence the requirement to request information relating to birth sex is appropriate. No individual is compelled to provide any information to a sports organization. However, failure to provide such information should mean that that person would not be able to compete in the category of their choice. The sport of swimming should therefore provide options for those people who prefer not to advise of their sex or gender. This would also be fair to and comply with the rules related to anti-doping officers collecting samples, which requires observation and an accompanying obligation to grant permission for any athlete wishing to compete in events which are subject to the WADA Code.
Finally some common sense. Thankful WSCA has the guts to stand up for female athletes.
right? everyone was so mad about trans women having advantages. which, to a certain extent i understand. i literally just asked someone this.
This is a huge step back and disability rights. I hate all of you. weaponized in “Special Olympics” knowing that disabled people don’t support the word special being used on us. Furthermore, knowing darn good and well that we don’t have disabled sports in schools.
We will never have equality as long as things remain like this
Is it fair and equal when someone has a clear and noticeable advantage over every other competitor simply because they made a decision to be something else? The report is not wrong and they aren’t aying they cant compete just not in a sport against folks they easily and unfairly dominate.
Michael Phelps easily dominated and had advantages over his competitors that many categorized as unfair.
What advantages were those?
Remain like what? Nothing you said makes sense…
People with disabilities will never have equality in sports. They can’t compete against people without physical disabilities. That’s an unfortunate fact of life. Everyone isn’t the same. That’s why they have their own games. Accept that fact and move on to something worthwhile.
IDIOT thinking
Well when you are 462 in the MALES DIVISION but then you become number one in FEMALE division, that’s not fair. Maybe he should have worked harder in his male division.
I agree!
This is not rocket science. It is unfair to have males competing against females. That is obvious to everyone. The female athletes are under no obligation to give up their sport to make trans athletes feel good!
It’s not rocket science, we don’t have disabled sports in schools.
I am a cis woman. Please stop calling us “females” as if we are breeding stock!!!!
Cis is a slur. Woman is the default description for our bodies, and female is the sex category (of which there are just two!). Cis isn’t necessary when trans already exists as a modifying descriptor for those who identify as women who were not born female.
EXCELLENT point I often make, but you said it better. We need to stop letting the activists push the “cis” modifier into the English language.
My goodness, please change your name to Karen.
Change yours to misogynist creep.
Speak for yourself!!..i am proud to be called a “female” because I am!!…What do you want to call yourself is up to you but don’t generalized by using the word “us.”!!
‘Females’ is the correct biological term. It doesn’t mean breeding stock. I have no idea why you are so stuck on disabled sports in schools.
Cis was coined by a paedosexual physician that was anti-feminist and hated women. Please keep your religious nonsense in church.
“Cis” is a derogatory term for “normal” or “regular” to try and make normal, regular seem like a psychiatric disorder equal to gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia, and autogynephila.
YOU ARE A FEMALE. CIS IS A MADE UP TERM AND TRANS PEOPLE BELONG IN A MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTION THIS IS A MENTAL DISORDER. PLEASE SEEK HELP.
Common sense decision. Kudos for going with science.
Finally, a voice text f reason and common sense.
These people that wanna play games with gender are all gonna have to realize someday that the world does NOT always cater to yours needs/wants. I hate using the word MISOGYNY but that is exactly the issue here. These men think that they can declare themselves women and then get what is exclusive to women. It is truly bizarre. An EXTREME sense of entitlement.
Why are you ablelist? What did disabled women ever take from you?
I can’t think of anything that’s more entitlement then going to college and getting a scholarship at all as a disabled woman. oh wow look at all the sports made for abled people!!! You just relegated transgender people to disabled woman status.
Are trans women healthy and unmedicated, though? Trans people literally cannot inhabit their bodies without medication and significant medical intervention.
I can’t inhabit my body without daily medication either and have had significant medical intervention. Does that mean I can’t be considered a woman or healthy?
No, you relegated transgender people to disabled woman status. What would be the purpose of having disabled people on athletic teams with non-disabled people? People usually gravitate to a sport they’re good at. I doubt a disabled person would enjoy competing against gifted athletes. And there are scholarships for people with disabilities.
Why the hell are you on about disabled people? I’m sure the trans community would love you for calling them all disabled.
Makes good sense. A reasonable solution.
It’s about time someone is finally opening their eyes on this situation. My next question is when the trophies and records are going to be taken away from those they dint belong to and given to the rightful individuals. (WOMEN).
Are you really going to take trophies away from disabled women in order to give it to able-bodied women? Yall just said that they’re Special Olympics women. I actually hope that they sue you all because you actually judge them on the basis of their disability
Again you don’t understand how this effects someone who plays a sport and trained hard and everyday for said sport to have a benchmark set by someone who has biological advantage no other woman will be able to beat that and its greatly unfair.
This has nothing to do with disabilities. Mental illness, maybe. Not physical disabilities, which are relevant to sports competition. You’re attempting to torture some bizarre argument out of nothing and it makes absolutely no sense in light of reality.
I agree. She’s the one conflating trans gender people with people with disabilities. From what I can understand of her comments, she seems to think trans gender people will compete in the Special Olympics. I don’t know how she got to that conclusion. I’m using the term trans gender here even though I don’t believe you can change your gender. Except for very rare instances, you are the gender your DNA is. I can bleach my brown hair blond but that won’t make me really a blond. My DNA will still say brown hair.
Nicely done. Skilled and fair interpretation.
Well… when enough people boycott swimming competitions and the Olympics, eventually it will become an obsolete sport. Then they can go swim in their “fairness”
I have been swimming for 60 years. Just swam 2.1 miles today. I swim 3 to 4 times a week. I also have officiated swimming swimming for 45 years.
This decision is a fair one. Apparently you feel diferently, but fairness will prevail. My guess is that you have an agenda to politically divide people.
Shame on you!
I don’t really have an agenda. The only agenda I had with the hope that one day disabled women would finally be included. But as usual people don’t really consider disabled women people. Just like people think transgender women aren’t people.
Disabled women don’t have sports in schools. We don’t get scholarships.
All non athletic people don’t get athletic scholarships. not just disabled people. Athletic scholarships exist because those athletes add either money or fame to the school. You could start a disabled person’s category yourself but I how many people would compete? And of the disabled population, how many want to compete in athletics? Then, how many people will pay to watch them which provides the funding for the scholarships? Also, your defense of disabled people is disingenuous. It’s not the term they prefer.
Are you disabled? Is that the term you are using because you were born as a gender you don’t want to be?
You have to be good at sports to get sports scholarships.
Who will boycott? The 2% of the population that is trans? The vast majority believe that this is a fair decision. The next generation is filled with temper tantrum throwing, whining, virtue signaling, participation trophy winning, brats. No offense ?
Boomers would know. They were the original everyone gets a trophy generation
I don’t think so!!!, it is their offsprings who started this entitlement syndrome!..the baby boomers just wanted to give their offspring good life, but the outcome resulted to “entitlement mentalities and degeneration!!”
Hm. Our resident anti-ablist appears to be an ageist with a case of historical ignorance tossed in for free (participation trophies were around before the baby boomers parents were even born).
Wrong. Boomers learned how to win or lose because we did not have trophy for all. That came later generation.
Boomers are 60 to 80 years old. You don’t actually think they’re the only ones disagreeing with you, do you?
To be fair, in the grand scheme of spectator sports, I believe relatively few people watch swimming at all. To be noticed at all, a boycott would require swim parents to stop showing up. Don’t get me wrong – I swim. I just don’t watch swimming. I doubt many golfers watch much golf… Some activities just don’t command much of an audience. To your point, though, the boycott would need to be women swimmers (real ones) refusing to compete against males.
I fear the Olympics are on the way out regardless of this issue. Viewership is way down and taxpayers around the world appear to be tiring of seeing their money dumped into athletic venues which lose money and end up in ruins a few years after the games have moved to the next country.
Haha, have fun trying to make that happen.
I’m feeling better about the whole trans thing after reading this decision!
Why would you feel better about them being relegated to disabled people? And there’s no disabled sports in schools…
Go try out for your high school softball team and stop whining.
BRITTANY, STOP! Nowhere in this story or thread does it say ANYTHING about delegating trans athletes to disabled sports, NOWHERE!
My daughter decided in 2nd grade that she wanted to play her sport competitively in college. She spent all her spare time, (year round) studied her butt off in school and was a lucky 1% of girls in her sport to get recruited with a scholarship. NOTHING was given to her, she earned her way there! Biological boys have NO business competing with biological females! She has no desire to take part in this “social experiment!” Great logical decision!
How about this: just end women’s sports. Just have one category called SPORTS. All problems solved. If you’re good enough, you can compete, regardless of your “gender.” If you’re not, you can’t—just like all of us short white guys who can’t play in the NBA. Do away with all categories and just have one open category in all sports.
Completely nasty and utterly sick. You obviously hate females.
Honestly anti-trans movement is extremely misogynistic. And it hates disabled women
It is a man that couldn’t win as a man went to swim against women and wins everything. Also say what ever you want but this is all because there is no god in are homes period and God bless all of you
Umm, I think he was being sarcastic….one category called SPORTS would exclude females, so we have to create categories.
Napoleon…please have a seat. Sounds like you were the water boy in high school. Womens sports should be protected.
That was sarcasm…
You are an idiot. There is a WNBA where women play basketball.
There’s no disabled sports in schools…
And what does that have to do with anything it’s not WOMEN it’s a drag queen nothing more
Not in individual schools but some cities have groups organized by the school systems recreation departments. Some have charity groups. Maybe you live somewhere too underpopulated for a disabled youth sports group. An individual school, unless it was one expressly for disabled students, doesn’t have enough students to compete with each other.
In which schools? You keep saying this. You have no idea.
Uh huh. And how many people watch it, relative to the fan base of the NBA? He was being sarcastic to a degree but also making a very valid point.
So glad you are getting men out of women’s swimming.
They aren’t men. And since you compared them to the Special Olympics? That means they’re disabled women. And you just discriminated against disabled women and our wishes to be included in school sports.! There are no disabled sports in school!
Lia is most certainly a man. His name was Will until a couple years ago and HE competed on the mens team.
You mean Liam Thomas?
I am sorry to burst the bubble on this, but albeit this sound like the perfect compromise, it is a feel good “compromise” with no basis in fact.
When college a meets college b in a meet, the is a 99.99% chance that if college a has a trans female swimmer, college b will have no one, so let’s have the trans swimmer run laps by herself?
Am I am sure that when this occurs the appeased fans in the stands will be cheering her on and not hurling insults like caller her “it” or booing, or throwing objects, because we are all about fairness.
It will just get them targeted…
The teams will have to be independent of schools, possibly regional. Trans men put off their hormone treatment so they can compete on the women’s teams, if trans women want to compete with their colleges they will have to do what the trans men do and delay their hormonal transition and compete with their birth sex.
Sport exists outside of the school and college system in countries outside of the USA. This is a decision made by a worldwide organisatjon, yet all the comments abainst it seem to be from people in the US. Forget gender, the US needs to realise they don’t own sport.
How is the fault of the U.S. that people outside of it aren’t commenting here?
But we don’t have disabled sports in schools. you’re basically condemning them the same way people condemn disabled people like me…. I was sincerely hoping that they would be included.
This is a horrendous system. This isn’t good for anybody. Most especially cis disabled women like me. This is definitely a step back in disability rights too.
No such thing as cis!
Google “after school sports for disabled youth.” There are multiple programs. No, individual schools don’t run them because the population is too small per school. Your parents didn’t try to find you a sport or you don’t live in a populated area.
Occasionally able bodied people have to travel for after school sports practice. My high school and another high school each did not have a big enough swimming pool for both the boys and girls teams, so all the boys practiced in my school, meaning some had to take a bus across town and vice versa with the girls. Public schools don’t have endless resources.
In your country.
If you were born a woman, the term cis is unnecessary.
If you were born with a disability, you were unfortunate to be in a country where there isn’t a sports programme.
The world swimming organisation wasn’t set up for your benefit.
The group is about to learn the hard way that the whole trans thing relies on being treated as 100% equal. Any less and the whole thing collapses into a freakshow. The trans activists will be going bonkers over this and this group will be issuing a retraction in short order.
I won’t. Because I’m a disabled woman. I have a very strong interest in transgender rights because they are advancing disabled women’s rights.
Actual equality would mean I was included. That there would be actual teams for me. But there aren’t. The alternative is just to include me on the team anyway. But that doesn’t happen for disabled women either.
I am not clear on what you are saying. Cheerleader teams and football teams should have to take in kids in wheelchairs and kids with autism? It may feel good to advocate for that but where does this leave things? This demand for equity at all costs is getting ridiculous and is becoming absurd. Life is often unfair, but if there are no losers, there are no winners. If there is no sadness, there is no happiness. Accomodating blind or deaf people at work so that they can make a living is good. Altering sports to try to make everyone happy will just make everyone miserable in the end.
No way! The trans movement is trying to take away Women’s sports!!!! Trans activist say, “oh it is only fair that they allow transgenders to compete with biological women.” So transgender people have more rights than everyone else?! I think not. I will NOT sit by and let it happen! How is allowing a man compete against women in a woman’s sport fair?! Title IX was written for a reason but now the woke left wants to re-write that too to take everything women fought for before Title IX away! Only selfish people want to re-write Title IX!
“Freakshow” is extremely derogatory towards disabled people. And just shows what you really think of transgender Women in particular. That you think they are disabled women. And that you think that disabled women as a group should be treated with horrendous disdain and exclusion from sports. That all disabled women are a threat to you. we are a threat to your “normal daughters”.
I’m sorry I wasn’t born perfect like your angel with blond hair.
The trans activism from the disabled women’s corner will never stop. our destiny is way to intwined. Going backwards on transgender rights means going backwards on disabled women’s rights.
Wait a minute here. Trans people are disabled? They are equivalent to disabled? How did disabled get into this? Some would argue that Trans people are mentally disabled, but that blows the whole cover. I am lost as to how the disabled are advocates for Trans inclusion on sports.
Finally, some common sense prevailing. Although it is annoying they say biological women, but they don’t call trans women biological males, although that’s exactly what they are. But I’m sure they know all the wokes libs are going to be protesting them and screaming and crying about this, so they tried to soften the blow just a tiny bit by using some of the crazy verbiage that the left makes up every week LOL. And I’m sure Brittany will respond to this too, but I’m not going to read it, because I can already imagine what she’s going to say ?
I’ll respond to this though.
A) how many trophies have been one by trans women not named Thomas : answer 0
B) how many Olympic medals have been won in history by trans athletes : answer 0
C) how many colleges have transgender athletes enough to create a swim team, or a basketball team answer:0
D) how many universities will put up funding for a transgender team answer : 0
E) what are the chances in dream world if a transgender swim team were to compete in an event , all you “non-woke” , enlightened “common sense” right wing nut job terfs (I can throw slanderous barbs as well) would treat that match with any form of respect.
F) so let’s force trans women to swim against cis males. Since there are regulations for what swim trunks are required for competing , are you going to force port operative transgender females to compete with no top.
There is being woke, then there is being phobic.
I don’t know about colleges but Connecticut has had first AND second place in track win by trans athletes. The growing number of trans people makes this trend more likely.
She is very upset about this apparently lol responding to everyones comment!
There is some hope though, finally a committee that took a stand against the nonsense!
Sounds like a fair decision for women’s sports.
Finally justice has been served. Let the trans athletes have their own league.
Create a new division for transgender persons ? This concept is ludicrous.
Schools already struggle to pay for non- revenue sports. Who will foot the bill ?
Home schooled kids’ parents figured out a way for them to have a league in my area. I’m sure a charity could be successful for an after school program for a city’s trans athletes to come together and join teams and compete. There’s usually a gym somewhere that can be rented or allowed to use for free.
The US will finally have to understand that sport is about sport, not money. Maybe some of the billions from US college football, basketball etc can be diverted to other sports. But that’s your problem, not the world’s.
Your terminology is shockingly absurd. Men cannot become ‘female’ Females have a female reproductive system and XX chromosomes. Please mind your language. They are transvestites full of cross-sex horrmones who may have had some surgery. What next? Self-ID when they don’t even need to try to seem to be transitioning, but just they’re ‘women’? Language is everything.
No such thing as male-to-female, when what you may have is a feminised male. A man. The truth and not controversial.
Biology is real. So is misogyny and womanface. Like blackface, but parodying women.
Transgender men are just that..men! It’s stupid as hell to even compare them to being a woman! Create your own division with this garbage! Leave women’s sports alone, and stop trying to compete against a gender that is biologically weaker than you! Stop bullying real womensports ,and Compete against a gender your own size…like a man for instance!!!! It’s disgusting!! ?
This is an excellent article, and decision relating to transgender athletes. In conclusion, this decision should include all biological female sports! Common sense!
THANK YOU!
U Penn should apologize to all female athletes.
Can anyone clarify the sex of those called ‘Trans females’?
Sex or gender? It means born male, ie genetically XY (usually). But born gender female.
It is a DISGRACE this was ever allowed to happen – complete wickedness! Will the female participants that lost their places to CHEATING males receive an apology? The NCAA still has no consideration for science, equality or fair sportsmanship since they are continuing to allow men into women’s categories. It’s cheating and it’s wrong.
Can’t believe it took this long for WSCA to stand up to this anti-women homophobic religion. Enough is enough. Science trumps ideology.
This is such a wonderful thing to read. Fairness in women’s sports and respect for trans gendered athletes – win/win, right? I know the radicals are going to protest that a man in a woman’s swimsuit IS a woman, but their extremist views are being called out by everyone.
The WSCA should not allow trendy-transphobia to cause it to initiate rules affecting less than 1% of 1% of women (yes – trans women are women) in the world and thereby put at risk ALL women. They must realize that embracing a rule that excludes trans women would mean ALL women would/could be subjected to the sexist, invasive and often pedophiliac scrutiny they seek to impose on trans women. Who decides when a woman is too strong, too tall, too fast, to be accused of and therefore “inspected” for being trans?? Under these types or rules, any coach or potentially parent will be able to lodge a protest and have your daughter’s genital’s and chemistry inspected. And regardless of what the WSCA decides relative to trans women who have experienced testosterone-induced puberty (“male” puberty), the exclusion of trans women who have NOT experienced testosterone-induced puberty is entirely unsupported in science, fact and medicine. A human being who has not experienced testosterone-induced puberty has NO advantages. Unless of course the fundamental argument for exclusion is flawed in the first place…
There are two sexes. Men and women. The end.
Thank you for a considered response. I hope other sporting bodies come to a similar conclusion and the arguments cease. Sport should always put fairness first.
You mean trans men and trans women, not trans males and trans females. Male and female are biological and unchangeable.
Excellent. Thanks you!! If WSCA makes a trannyleague we can all happily ignore it. This is bad news for Liam, he’ll need to go back the being 498th in the men’s category.
Caitlynkk good luck with you
In many individual sports, such as swimming, why not just come up with a handicapping system? If you are a transwoman, you automatically get a certain amount of time added to your actual time if you compete in a woman’s division. Sort of like having a golfing handicap. Team sports wouldn’t work, but such sports as running, cycling, swimming, etc. could possibly work.