Swimmer Lia Thomas had created history and stood smiling on the podium as she won the gold medal in the 500-yard freestyle event at the US collegiate championships to extend her dominance in the sport. It was arguably one of the proudest moments of her swimming career but the trans athlete was far from basking in the glory of her victory as her historic triumph sparked immense backlash on social media.
Thomas had become the first-ever transgender athlete to win a top-tier title at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the US but her achievement was overshadowed by the raging debate about inclusiveness and fairness. Thomas is not the first transgender athlete to be dominating her sport in recent times.
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics, Thomas and British cyclist Emily Bridges are some trans athletes who have been great in their respective sports and have won medals across events. The question which arises is a simple yet sophisticated one – do they enjoy an unfair advantage competing in women’s competitions?
Should transgender women be banned from competing in female categories? It has been regarded as one of the most sensitive issues in sports over the years and the emergence of the likes of Hubbard and Thomas has only added to the row. The debate remains centred around fairness and inclusion, whether it is right to let transgender athletes take part in women’s competitions.
There is scientific evidence which proves even with a reduction in testosterone levels and hormonal therapy, Male-to-female transgender athletes retain physical advantages in their bodies which essentially makes it unfair for other women competing with them in their respective sports.
Boys undergo a massive transformation in regard to their bodies at the age of around 13-14 which results in changes in their heart, lung and the shape of the skeleton among others. They also witness a significant change in haemoglobin levels in their blood.
Also Read: FINA bars transgenders athletes in women’s competitions: Will other sporting bodies follow suit?
These factors are all imperative contributors when it comes to sporting performances and even after testosterone reduction from the body some biological differences are retained in trans athletes, who have transformed from male to female. But despite the scientific evidence, swimming’s world governing body FINA’s decision was met with criticism from many when it announced it will bar transgender athletes from taking part in elite women’s competitions.
While announcing the decision, FINA President FINA President Husain Al-Musallam said it was a step that has not been taken before by any global sporting bodies and that he would like his organisation to lead the way. FINA also plans to launch an ‘Open’ category separately for trans athletes to ensure they can get a fair shot at competing in all elite events.
“The creation of an open category will mean that everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level. This has not been done before, so FINA will need to lead the way,” the FINA president had said.
FINA’s decision is a landmark one in the history of sports, forcing major sporting bodies to rethink their transgender policies. FIFA have already planned to review their existing framework for trans athletes while World Athletics – the global governing body for athletics also intends to rework its policies for transgenders.
Also Read: How will swimming’s new transgender rules work?
There remain concerns over transgender athletes enjoying advantages in terms of their aerobic and anaerobic capacity, physicality, stamina and overall strength when pitted against other women in the female category. Thus, FINA’s move to bar transgenders from female events and open up a separate category for them has been welcomed by many.
But it remains to be seen if the other global sporting bodies will follow their footsteps and make the difficult calls and tough decisions in ensuring the fine line between unfair advantage and inclusiveness is not damaged when it comes to gender identity in sports.
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