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Key Points
- World Aquatics becomes first to introduce open category for transgender athletes.
- The open category would see 50 and 100 metres events in all four strokes.
- The debut will come at the 6-8 October meet in Berlin.
World Aquatics will become the first major sports federation to introduce an open category providing transgender swimmers an opportunity to compete at World Cup level, starting with an October meet in Berlin.
A said the open category pilot program showed World Aquatics’ “unwavering commitment to inclusivity, welcoming swimmers of all sex and gender identities.”
The ruling body said that the open category would see 50 and 100 metres events in all four strokes, with more possibly to be added in the future.
Participating athletes need to be affiliated with a national federation and can then chose whether to compete individually, for their club, team or national federation.
Transgender athletes were last year banned from competing in women’s events unless the change of gender came before the age of 12, but World Aquatics also said at the time it was exploring an open category.
“When World Aquatics instituted its policy on eligibility for the men’s and women’s competition categories, we committed to exploring the creation of an open category,” World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam said.
“True to our word, a team of experts has diligently worked to make this a reality. I would like to thank all those who have helped World Aquatics to deliver this opportunity.”
The debut will come at the 6-8 October meet in Berlin, with German swim federation Kai Morgenroth welcoming the news.
“Berlin is thrilled to champion this groundbreaking initiative with the full endorsement of the German Swimming Federation. We’re proud to host an event where swimmers can compete without barriers,” he said.
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