FINA made the decision at its EGC after members heard a report from a transgender working group made up of prominent medical, legal and sports figures.
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Five-time world champion Seebohm, who won a gold medal in combined relay for Australia at last year’s Tokyo Games, said the decision would encourage swimmers to continue in the sport.
“I’m finally happy that we have a decision and we know where the sport is going and what we’re going to do,” the 30-year-old told Sky News on Monday.
“We didn’t know what would happen and when we didn’t, it’s hard to fully commit to our sport if we had no idea where it was going.
“We can all move on. We can all get back to the sport we love … and know that we’re getting into the pool, that it’s going to be a fair and equitable playing field and that’s what we want.”
Athlete Ally, an advocacy group for LGBTQI + people in sport, said FINA’s decision was “discriminatory” and “harmful.”
“If we really want to protect women’s sports, we need to include all women,” the group tweeted.
Transgender rights have become one of the main points of discussion, as sports seek to balance inclusion with justice.
The debate intensified after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first NCAA transgender champion in Division I history after winning the 500-yard women’s freestyle earlier this year. .
“Matching Game Terms”: Emily Seebohm. Credit: Getty Images
FINA said it would set up a working group to establish an “open” category for them at some events as part of its new policy.
Australian women won eight of the country’s nine gold medals in the Tokyo pool.
The Australian Olympic Committee also supported FINA’s decision, saying sports were required to ensure that participation was “fair and secure”.
“While inclusion must be respected, fairness in competition is a core value of sport,” a spokesman said.
“FINA has made a decision based on the circumstances of the sport of swimming to achieve that balance.”
Reuters
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