[T]he inclusion of transgender people into female sports cannot be balanced with fairness due to the retained differences in strength, stamina and physique,’ the World Swimming Coaches Association’s statement reads.
Campus Reform spoke with female athletes in January who echoed similar concerns about physical differences.
The World Swimming Coaches Association (WSCA) is recommending that FINA, a governing body for aquatic sports, create a transgender division to account for men’s biological advantages over women.
“FINA and its aquatic disciplines are also a pillar of the Olympic Movement and give a decisive contribution to the success of the Games,” the body states on its website.
WSCA concludes in its statement, “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 association further states.
The statement was published nearly two months after collegiate swimming was thrust into the national spotlight after transgender athlete Lia Thomas became the first openly trans-athlete to win a national title.
Thomas was eligible to compete as a biological man despite newly adopted standards by USA Swimming in an attempt to level the playing field while balancing inclusivity.
Read More: Swim coaches recommend a transgender division for athletes
