Welcome news hit the wires on Father’s Day as FINA, the international swimming ruling body, made a final determination on the question of gender entry in elite swimming competition.
I’d expect U.S. Swimming and the NCAA to revisit their earlier determinations now that there is clarity from the top… but I won’t necessarily hold my breath regarding the NCAA.
Of course the news was framed to current events. And specific people.
While one person necessitated this decision, it is about more than one person. It is a broader conversation than just swimming and elite competition, but it’s a good starting point.
This is also about the women who could not speak out while being displaced in a sport they’ve devoted their lives to - whether under threat from coaches and losing scholarships or from administrators and athletic programs that are dependent on sponsor dollars.
It’s about the women, like me and more than one of my long time friends who texted me yesterday celebrating the decision. Women who participated in swimming at various levels, and who understood what the sport meant to our lives. Swimming gave us opportunities and opened doors n education and in life. It also required dedication, hard work and a desire to excel. Qualities and opportunities that we all appreciate enough as adults that we encouraged our children to swim and play sports at competitive and elite levels.
FINA’s actual ruling is a little more nuanced than just creating an open category beyond men’s and women’s events. Individuals who transition before age 12 can compete in their chosen (identifying) gender if they reach the elite level of swimming. "We have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women's category", says FINA President Husain Al-Musallam via statement.
From a competition standpoint this seems measured and realistic as a policy. One that respects individual personal decisions, but actively works to protect fairness for all who are competing. It really isn’t that hard to get right, you just have to be willing to say no.
Our understanding of the physical and skeletal changes associated with puberty are well documented and widely accepted. Not to mention plain to see. A casual observer of swimming at the elite level would be able to quantify the difference in competition between men’s and women’s races.
They just aren’t the same. And that is okay. There’s room for both.
Morally and medically there is another discussion to be had regarding childhood transition and the trans agenda. That’s a separate issue than what will be allowed in competition and FINA’s duty. FINA understood that, “This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair,” James Pearce, who is the spokesperson for FINA president Husain Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press.
FINA has opened the door for other elite sport governing bodies to actively chose to support all athletes and all competition, not just that of women. For that I applaud them.