USA Swimming releases new policy on transgender swimmers

Lia Thomas’s post-college swimming career may be in limbo after the national governing body for U.S. competitive swimming released its Athlete Inclusion, Competitive Equality and Eligibility Policy on Tuesday.

USA Swimming published the update to its operating policy manual, which it announced in a press release later that day, in the wake of debate over the transgender swimmer’s record-breaking success amongst her biological female teammates on the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s swim team.

“While recognizing the need for the aforementioned guidelines in elite competition, sport is an important vehicle for positive physical and mental health, and, for this reason, USA Swimming remains steadfast in its continued commitment to greater inclusivity at the non-elite levels,” the organization said. “In order to balance these two priorities, specific guidelines have been developed for both non-elite and elite athletes and elite events.”

The new policy will require transgender athletes to provide evidence their “physical development” as males do “not give the athlete a competitive advantage” over their “cisgender female competitors.”

It also mandates testing from each athlete that demonstrates “that the concentration of testosterone in the athlete’s serum has been less than 5 nmol/L (as measured by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry) continuously for a period of at least thirty-six (36) months.”

This brings USA Swimming in line with the testosterone thresholds of other international sporting organizations. The National College Athletes Association announced transgender participation would be decide by a sport-by-sport basis, requiring trans athletes to begin documenting their testosterone levels but not yet setting a limit.

The testosterone requirement may be an issue for Thomas, who transitioned as an adult. NCAA collegiate swim meets are not governed by USA Swimming, but the qualifying trials for the Olympics are.

In closing, USA Swimming noted the two guidelines did not apply to non-member athletes nor events not approved at its “Elite” level for aspiring international competitors.

Thomas made headlines last December breaking national records for women’s swimming after competing three years on Penn’s mens team before her transition. A USA Swimming official resigned in protest to her continued participation in college swim meets.

Conservative women’s groups spoke out against USA Swimming’s decision, arguing that allowing trans athletes would result in fewer opportunities for women.

“In competitive sport, not everybody makes the team or gets a scholarship. And not all of those who make the team get to compete. Allowing male-bodied athletes to compete on limited roster teams inevitably means that there are fewer opportunities for female athletes (to be recruited, to receive a scholarship, or to participate in competitions),” said Jennifer C. Braceras, director of the Independent Women’s Law Center, in a statement.