'What's fair is fair': Caitlyn Jenner backs ban on trans women in female sports

20 June 2022, 16:22

Trans Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner has spoken out in support of the ban on trans women completing in female sports, saying "what's fair is fair".

The retired athlete, who famously transitioned in 2015, has been outspoken against people born as male from competing in women's sports.

On Sunday Fina, the world governing body for swimming, voted to ban trans athletes from taking part in women's races if they have gone through any part of the process of male puberty.

Reacting to the news, Ms Jenner said: "It worked! I took a lot of heat - but what's fair is fair! If you go through male puberty you should not be able to take medals away from females. Period."

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In a separate post, she said: "Thanks to all of you that stood with me as I talked about what should be obvious (not anti-lgbt but common sense). I am glad the international athletics community is speaking out. I will continue to speak out, act and advocate, for women in sports."

Under Fina's new policy, competitors must have completed their transition by the age of 12 in order to compete in women’s competitions.

The move was backed by 71 per cent of Fina's 152 members.

The governing body will also aim to set up an 'open' category for swimmers whose gender identity is different from their birth sex.

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Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries yesterday urged other sports to follow the example of FINA after the decision was announced following an extraordinary congress in Budapest.

She told LBC FINA had made "absolutely the right decision", adding: "I have been of the opinion that FINA came to today for a long time and have discussed this with my own department and established a policy.

"We're about to have a round table with all of the sports' governing bodies. It is just unacceptable that trans women compete in women's sport."

'It's just unacceptable that trans women compete in women's sport.' 

It comes after Lia Thomas 22, made history by becoming the first transgender person to win a US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I title. She won the 500-yard freestyle in Atlanta but received a chorus of boos.

Ms Thomas previously swam for the Pennsylvanian men's team before beginning hormone replacement therapy in 2019.

She will now be ineligible to compete in the women's category with immediate effect.

Ms Jenner won a gold medal in the men's decathlon at the 1976 Olympics.

At the time she was male and named Bruce.

She announced she was trans in April 2015, telling American journalist Diane Sawyer she had dealt with gender dysphoria since she was a child.

"For all intents and purposes, I'm a woman," she said.

She completed sex reassignment surgery in January 2017.

FINA's announcement comes two weeks after cycling's governing body, the UCI, voted to double the period of time before a rider transitioning from male to female can compete.

FINA president Husain Al-Musallam said: "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 at FINA competitions."

FINA's 34-page policy document clarifies that male-to-female transgender athletes are still eligible to compete in the women's category "provided they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 [which marks the start of physical development], or before age 12, whichever is later".

Female-to-male transgender athletes will be eligible to compete in male categories, but in the sports of high diving and water polo they will be required to submit an 'assumption of risk' form, and are advised to seek advice on their physical capability.