2023-08-16 17:50:45
It will concern the distances of 50 m and 100 m in all strokes. The German federation invokes an “innovative idea” despite a choice that divides the community.
A dedicated measure which will be above all discriminatory. World Aquatics, the World Swimming Federation, will launch an “open category” from the Berlin World Cup stop in early October to accommodate transgender swimmers, the governing body announced on Wednesday. A proposal framed by drastic prerequisites which divides the milieu, in that it amounts to not putting the performance of transgender women on the same scale of values as their cis counterparts.
At the international level, at the end of 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave up establishing uniform guidelines as to the criteria for the participation of intersex and transgender athletes, leaving the hand to the federations. In 2022, the Federation had banned transgender athletes from participating in major events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, while creating a working group to set up an “open category”.
In a statement released Wednesday, the body stresses that the creation of this category shows its “unwavering commitment to inclusiveness, by welcoming swimmers of all sexes and all gender identities”. German Swimming Federation President Kai Morgenroth said “Berlin is delighted to support this ground-breaking initiative.” “We are proud to host an event where swimmers can compete without barriers,” he added.
The “open category” will be for 50m and 100m distances in all swims, but World Aquatics says the number of races could be expanded. The British Rowing and Cycling Federations have also announced in recent months the creation of an “open category” for transgender and non-binary people.
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